Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[GardenNut]

And the little things look so cute under MHP! Better than a blazing light on them!

 

[Kmhv04]

Hello! I'm a new convert to the MHP brooding! I have some questions regarding construction, but will find it within the past posts I'm sure.

I do however have a question I am not sure I will easily find the answer to (I tried the search feature and it didn't find any good results).

Here it is - What sort of problems/complications have been experienced using the MHP method? Any problems/challenges specific to this method? Anyone have problems with over heating/under heating?

Oops...I guess I have one more question...How warm is the air temp of the room/coop you have your brooder in? My brooder will be in a large cool area (shop) heated with oil heaters just to keep things warm enough so pipes don't freeze (I will try to get an accurate temp at some point today). I am wondering if I may have to add more heat to the room. We have been over freezing most nights now.

Thanks a ton! I am really enjoying this thread!!!

 

[eagrbeavr]

And it is blazing. When we had those minus temps here in Pa this last winter, I must admit, I winped out and put a lamp out in the coop and pointed it over their heads, trying to keep it out of their eyes and away from the grass clippings I have as bedding. Well from the house, that lamp looked like something the airport would use to land planes! Ridiculous!

 

[BantyChooks]

And it is blazing. When we had those minus temps here in Pa this last winter, I must admit, I winped out and put a lamp out in the coop and pointed it over their heads, trying to keep it out of their eyes and away from the grass clippings I have as bedding. Well from the house, that lamp looked like something the airport would use to land planes! Ridiculous!

I did the same thing... It made the coop so red it looked like it was on fire! Needless to say, I didn't sleep too well- and I am never doing it again, after learning more about the disasters that happen with them.

 

[Molpet]

Hello! I'm a new convert to the MHP brooding! I have some questions regarding construction, but will find it within the past posts I'm sure.

I do however have a question I am not sure I will easily find the answer to (I tried the search feature and it didn't find any good results).

Here it is - What sort of problems/complications have been experienced using the MHP method? Any problems/challenges specific to this method? Anyone have problems with over heating/under heating?

Oops...I guess I have one more question...How warm is the air temp of the room/coop you have your brooder in? My brooder will be in a large cool area (shop) heated with oil heaters just to keep things warm enough so pipes don't freeze (I will try to get an accurate temp at some point today). I am wondering if I may have to add more heat to the room. We have been over freezing most nights now.

Thanks a ton! I am really enjoying this thread!!!

problems/challenges would be having a loose cover/area that chickens can get trapped in... having to raise the MHP as the chicks grow so they fit...have to adjust the hp controller (instead of raising the lamp) to reduce heat.
temps would be any out of wind... people brood in the coop in winter in WY below freezing

 

[duluthralphie]

I have new hatches (yesterday's) under the MHP now. They are quiet and comfy. But I still worry. I want them warmer but I know they are ok. When I touch the pad it is warm to touch. not hot.

They sure are cute under there! These are my Mutts, EE, PC's and SS's. The CLB are slow hatching, they went into the incubator same time yesterdays hatch did, but decided to wait until this afternoon to pop out.


Pictures coming as soon as I find my cord......

 

[Blooie]

Hello! I'm a new convert to the MHP brooding! I have some questions regarding construction, but will find it within the past posts I'm sure.

I do however have a question I am not sure I will easily find the answer to (I tried the search feature and it didn't find any good results).

Here it is - What sort of problems/complications have been experienced using the MHP method? Any problems/challenges specific to this method? Anyone have problems with over heating/under heating?

Oops...I guess I have one more question...How warm is the air temp of the room/coop you have your brooder in? My brooder will be in a large cool area (shop) heated with oil heaters just to keep things warm enough so pipes don't freeze (I will try to get an accurate temp at some point today). I am wondering if I may have to add more heat to the room. We have been over freezing most nights now.

Thanks a ton! I am really enjoying this thread!!!

I'll answer your last question first with this link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors

I brood my chicks outdoors in the run. Temperatures were in the teens and twenties, with a howling blizzard (60+ mph winds, sideways blowing snow, and a power outage to boot!) We had Scout, a single chick, out in his cave with the pad and it was 4 below zero! In this video he was around 4 weeks old, but knew his way around the Bigs, the coop, the waterer, and the cave. It wasn't his first day out there, either.

Complications?

Chicken math. <sigh> This makes it so easy that your first batch of MPH raised chicks are feathered, independent, confident and ready to be on their own in about 4 weeks. Yeah, before the new has worn off, and you find yourself needing to replenish that!

Um, space. MHP does take up more room in the brooder than hanging a light over them. Add the food and water, maybe a clump of sod for them to play on, and your brooder is almost too small before the chicks get here.

Let's see.....power outages. You have to remember to turn that puppy back on and reset the "stay on" feature because unlike a heat lamp it won't come back on as soon as the power does. The night we lost power (and we don't know for how long) we woke in a panic! That was the night of the blizzard. Ran out there, got the pad turned back on and reset, and the chicks underneath were more upset by the flashlight in there! They were fine - one week old, no heat, and they were just cozy. The straw in, around, and on top of the cave plus their little bodies retained enough warmth that they didn't even notice.

Brooding in the house is a different animal in some ways. You don't the pad on real high. Most folks find that 4, bumping to 5 if they have to, is just great. When I had mine indoors, @azygous asked me what the temp was under there. Since I don't rely on thermometers but on the chicks, I put one under there to find out. It was 69 degrees in the room. It was 82.5 under the cave and they were just fine...had been for a few days. But those chicks soon went outside to 30 degrees. Bump the pad up a notch because of the more fluctuating temps, and no issues at all.

How'd I do?

Edited to add: Ken just pointed out that on this video Scout was older than I said...more along the lines of 7- 8 weeks. Didn't mean to mislead.... I just grabbed the wrong video and can't find the other one. <sigh> But even then, he'd been out there for a couple of weeks before it was taken.

 

[eagrbeavr]

Km, The only problems I recall people having is chicks getting stuck somehow. Ex: having the frame exposed against the pad, where the chicks rest up against. A couple have had chicks get a wing caught, so the remedy has been to wrap the entire thing in a pillow case or such and most people are putting the pad under the frame wrapping in cloth, then taping the whole thing to keep it from sagging. If you think its still sagging too much, a simple skewer under the pad but inside the cloth, then taped works. Mine sags a little. Works fine. I figure it probably feels like a soft belly or a warm comforter yoiu would sink into.

Another. Any place a chick could get wedged. Ex: Some prefer to have both the front and back open for escape for need be. One person I recall reported her one chick couldnt find its way back to the front, but could hear its broodmates so stayed where it was. Not sure, but I think she lost that chick. Mine isnt set up like that. Mine just has the one opening, like the original video posted at the beginning of the thread.

Trying to think of others.

No you dont need additional heat in the shop. Mine have been on a deck all week with nights going into the 20s. With wind chill, its in the 30s here now. They are on a covered deck butted up to the east side of the house, blocked by harsh wind. Theyre fine. Not just fine. Theyre happy.

Temp. just try in on high in the beginning. then monitor theyre behavior. Many wind up turning it down after a few days. Mine is still on high. Some report their heat inside is 85-95, I believe. Mine is running higher. I thought it would be too high, but thats how they want it. They still stay tucked in about halfway and I know the pad up up against their backs.

I cant think of anything else. I imagine some others have thrown in by the time I get this posted.

So in a nutshell, remember the chicks can wedge themselves and dont overthink it.

 

[Kmhv04]

I'll answer your last question first with this link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors
I brood my chicks outdoors in the run. Temperatures were in the teens and twenties, with a howling blizzard (60+ mph winds, sideways blowing snow, and a power outage to boot!) We had Scout, a single chick, out in his cave with the pad and it was 4 below zero! In this video he was around 4 weeks old, but knew his way around the Bigs, the coop, the waterer, and the cave. It wasn't his first day out there, either. Complications? Chicken math. This makes it so easy that your first batch of MPH raised chicks are feathered, independent, confident and ready to be on their own in about 4 weeks. Yeah, before the new has worn off, and you find yourself needing to replenish that! Um, space. MHP does take up more room in the brooder than hanging a light over them. Add the food and water, maybe a clump of sod for them to play on, and your brooder is almost too small before the chicks get here. Let's see.....power outages. You have to remember to turn that puppy back on and reset the "stay on" feature because unlike a heat lamp it won't come back on as soon as the power does. The night we lost power (and we don't know for how long) we woke in a panic! That was the night of the blizzard. Ran out there, got the pad turned back on and reset, and the chicks underneath were more upset by the flashlight in there! They were fine - one week old, no heat, and they were just cozy. The straw in, around, and on top of the cave plus their little bodies retained enough warmth that they didn't even notice. Brooding in the house is a different animal in some ways. You don't the pad on real high. Most folks find that 4, bumping to 5 if they have to, is just great. When I had mine indoors, @azygous asked me what the temp was under there. Since I don't rely on thermometers but on the chicks, I put one under there to find out. It was 69 degrees in the room. It was 82.5 under the cave and they were just fine...had been for a few days. But those chicks soon went outside to 30 degrees. Bump the pad up a notch because of the more fluctuating temps, and no issues at all. How'd I do?

You're awesome! Thanks for such a thorough answer! I will digest the info and plan accordingly! :-D **What are those little grey circular things in there next to the food container?**

 

[eagrbeavr]

Banty I was nervous too. I wont do it again either.