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

[RooBeeC]

well people in Alaska and Canada just let their chickens use their down coats with no heating.. you could make a huddle house, just make sure they get enough ventilation https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/264323/pictures-of-roost-huddle-boxes-please/30

Hmm interesting, the way my coop is set up I would already have 2 of these, and it would have ventilation. I wonder if that would still be good enough? I would just feel bad or them with its -17 out or something.

 

[Beekissed]

I wonder if a heating pad like this would help with a chicken coop in the winter for grown chickens. Putting a heating lamp in the coop makes me cringe. I live in Wisconsin, so it can get pretty cold and I want to provide them with some sort of warmth on the very cold days.

well people in Alaska and Canada just let their chickens use their down coats with no heating.. you could make a huddle house, just make sure they get enough ventilation https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/264323/pictures-of-roost-huddle-boxes-please/30

I agree. Life is exponentially easier if you obtain breeds that do well in your climate and then you let them do it on their own. Those that do well, you breed those for more of the same. Then you never have to worry about babying animals through the winter or summer, etc.

Same goes for all aspects of their health....chickens have survived since the beginning of time on their own and our interference into their lives usually results in a weaker animal. Good shelter from the winds, healthy footing, sun, fresh air, good food and fresh water is all they really need and if a person keeps to those basics, all the seemingly hard aspects of keeping livestock alive just melt away. They stay naturally healthy and your life is easier because of it.

 

[Blooie]

Place it with a window facing the chicks and you've got chicken TV and sewing time all in one!!!

^A VERY small portion of my stash. Blooie, your sewing camper hijacked the thread lol.

That's okay...it's my thread!!!

I wonder if a heating pad like this would help with a chicken coop in the winter for grown chickens. Putting a heating lamp in the coop makes me cringe. I live in Wisconsin, so it can get pretty cold and I want to provide them with some sort of warmth on the very cold days.

Won't do a thing for them. There's no way to train them to go under it and it just won't work on a roost. I'm up in Northern Wyoming and my girls are in an uninsulated, unheated coop. No issues, no problems. They do just great. We leave their pop door to the run open 24/7 and they go out there at the crack of dawn, ready to start their day. With lots of well thought out ventilation they've done great in temps well below zero. I even raise chicks out there in the run without a heat lamp when temps are in the teens and twenties. Chickens aren't the delicate little divas we are led to believe.....with a little care and letting them acclimate to their environment naturally as the seasons progress they adapt very well.

 

[Molpet]

Hmm interesting, the way my coop is set up I would already have 2 of these, and it would have ventilation. I wonder if that would still be good enough? I would just feel bad or them with its -17 out or something.

well if you give them heat and the power goes out, they will not be acclimated to the cold and suffer more... I can be a day or 2 with out power after an ice storm

 

[WyoJax]

Paying my dues finally. My babies has been home for 6 days but we've been dealing with Coccidiosis, so I've been a little preoccupied. All is well, picture is without my extra towls on top and I use towels in the MHP to raise up the chicks a bit. Once we don't have the chickens squirts shavings will be used.

The three year old is ecstatic!

 

[Blooie]

He looks like Kendra did the first time she held a chick...."Um, yeah, it's cute but you wanna get that picture taken and then come get it now???"

I dunno. maybe it's me but I think I'd rather scoop pine shavings from squirty chicks than pull out towels...but then I'm basically lazy so there ya go!!

Congrats on getting those dues paid!!

 

[WyoJax]

He was laughing so hard because they were tickling him haha. I kinda felt the same way with the shavings, I do laundry every day anyways. And I have an over abundance of dish towels, not sure how that happened...
The gardening fencing took a bit to wrap with electrical tape but it worked really well and fits perfectly. Thank you again for your time and knowledge.

 

[jrjoplin]

Just an update to once again sing the praises of the MHP method. The chicks are a week old and I've only lost one. I had one that had a little pasty butt out of the box and it was apparent that the others had pecked it during shipment. There were no open wounds so I cleaned it up and kept it with the others but it was a small chick about half the size of the others. Honestly I was surprised it made it the 3 days it did. Everyone else is happy and healthy. I'm going to have to adjust my survival percentages in the future if this keeps up. I had planned on 12-18 chickens in the end and in past chicks it wasn't unusual to lose 3-5 in the brooder which I now blame solely on the heat lamp. Barring any catastrophe I can't see losing any of the rest to health related issues. I do have a few dare devil chicks so chick suicide isn't out of the question yet. I'm adding a tractor only my coop building chores to handle any overflow. They don't stand still long enough for great pictures but I was able to get a better picture of the little NN.



I'll be raising the shelf to 3" in the back and 5" in the front tomorrow morning as most of the chicks are hanging out just inside the cave

 

[perchie.girl]

I wonder if a heating pad like this would help with a chicken coop in the winter for grown chickens. Putting a heating lamp in the coop makes me cringe. I live in Wisconsin, so it can get pretty cold and I want to provide them with some sort of warmth on the very cold days.

They dont need heat

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Yep