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

[jrjoplin]

I feel for all of you guys having this late winter weather. Spoke with my MIL yesterday they are in southeast Michigan she seems to think that she may need elevated garden beds as well as soon as the cold weather passes. It looks like my tools and I may be going on a road trip. I guess that goes back to marrying people with certain skills, I suppose I'm the carpenter in the family even though it's not a trade I've utilized for almost 20 years outside of work for myself and family.

My chicks are only two weeks old and I'm about to make the third adjustment to the MHP. The temperature in the brooder this morning was 65 and they were all outside the front of the cave. I think I'll raise it another inch and leave the heat setting alone. The air temperature in the cave is between 75-80 but the chicks are feathering out pretty well so it may be just a little warm for them in there. I'm not paying much attention to the temperatures when making adjustments I just watch the chicks and when they seem to like the setup I see what temperatures we ended on. I think the biggest change in my thinking has been that when in doubt go with the cooler temp. In the past I would have warmed them if I thought they might be the slightest bit cold and I in retrospect I think I kept the chicks way too warm.

I'm going to set the camera up again and see where they sleep throughout the night. I'll try to grab a clip or two to share. If they keep up this progress they will most likely move outside about a week ahead of schedule. I had planned on moving them out at 4 weeks but honestly I think they are ready now.

@Blooie has converted me to the MHP method and I'm pretty sure my next chicks will be started outside.

 

[Beekissed]

JrJoplin, see if this vid gives you any ideas when constructing the raised beds. I used this for a ring around my fruit trees so I could pile in composting items....but LG give me a hint to split the cattle panel in threes instead of in two and get more mileage out of the cattle panel. This might be a lot easier and last longer than the typical raised beds, while also having the benefit of getting more air to the roots.

 

[jrjoplin]

That's a great idea. My beds are built for the year I may add a few more next year. The property didn't have any fruit trees when we bought it so I put in about 20 last year. We lost a few to a gopher; I walked out one day and a pear tree was laying on the ground, they had eaten the entire root system. Hopefully in a few years we'll have more fruit than we can deal with. For now my canning equipment has dust on it.

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
Only that it is easier because there is just the one material and you can add more any time you like in any quantity you like. With real deep litter you need to collect leaves, grass clippings, other materials, make sure the moisture content is correct, periodically add more organic matter, etc.

But IMO, if you are willing and able to put in the effort, real deep litter is better. It will compost down the chicken poop as well as the organic matter and give you GREAT compost for your gardens. And yes, it should add some heat to the coop if it is "cooking" properly.

Deep bedding pine shavings keep it dry and assuming you have ventilation and don't have too many chickens for the amount of shavings, the coop doesn't smell bad. But it won't break down to anything other than dusty pine bits, if you let it go that long, and that is likely mostly from raking it every morning month after month after month, etc.

Aart's design is great and I considered it but right now I have a 5 gallon bucket (i splurged and got food grade from Lowe's but you don't have to) with horizontal nipples. I also bought a k&h 250 watt stock tank de icer but haven't had to use it yet. .....

How did you manage to NOT use the stock tank heater in a MA winter??? You aren't THAT far south of me

They're so cute! Makes me want more chicks! I'm trying to resist getting more. My first 4 are a good introduction. Must...wait...till...next...year....!

Good plan! I went from basically no eggs winter 2015 (with ten 2.5 Y/O hens) to a reasonable amount in the spring and summer. Got weak in the fall when they moulted before the June chicks started working, some starting in November. The pullets have worked all winter and now 6 of the 9 nearly 4 Y/O girls are laying and I'm trying to figure out what to do with all the eggs. My long time regular customers (2 people I used to work with) are really patient through the lean times but they don't each need 2 dozen eggs a week now that the girls are kicking out 9 - 11 eggs a DAY. But since chickens are chickens, likely the younger girls will knock off after they moult in the fall so there won't be much in the way of eggs next winter.

So ... if you WAIT until next spring to get more chicks, you can have eggs this coming winter AND the next winter without overloading the coop and egg cartons this fall

...... Tomorrow I will check the low on the hygrometer and see if I need to adjust at all right now. It's been warm during the day, highs in 70, Colorado in the Spring for you. Love ya @Blooie and you know it was tongue and cheek so to speak?

hygrometers measure humidity, not temperature.

 

[ShrekDawg]

JrJoplin, see if this vid gives you any ideas when constructing the raised beds. I used this for a ring around my fruit trees so I could pile in composting items....but LG give me a hint to split the cattle panel in threes instead of in two and get more mileage out of the cattle panel. This might be a lot easier and last longer than the typical raised beds, while also having the benefit of getting more air to the roots.

This is a great idea!! We've never really had a garden and when we did it was years and years ago and it totally failed. My brother and I did try I think last year or the year before and we had the plants grow but we didn't get any fruit. The peppers never grew but my brothers girlfriend said peppers are pretty hard to do, and I think we had cherry tomatoes do really well but animals ate them. According to my brother deer came and ate everything, down to the ground. I don't remember that but he told me a few days ago. This year I ordered 2 kinds of pumpkin seeds and kale mix seeds but we have not planted them yet. I want to go to the store and get some more seeds too and have a real garden this year with veggies and herbs and everything. I've seen the raised wooden beds and the gardening in buckets or 55 gallon drums but never anything like this and I think this may work well. I know you mentioned fruit trees and he mentioned tomatoes but do you think it'd work for other veggies or herbs? Or pumpkins? When we had pumpkins one year they took over the whole garden. And we always have rabbits or other animals eat all the veggies before we can.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Only that it is easier because there is just the one material and you can add more any time you like in any quantity you like. With real deep litter you need to collect leaves, grass clippings, other materials, make sure the moisture content is correct, periodically add more organic matter, etc.

But IMO, if you are willing and able to put in the effort, real deep litter is better. It will compost down the chicken poop as well as the organic matter and give you GREAT compost for your gardens. And yes, it should add some heat to the coop if it is "cooking" properly.

Deep bedding pine shavings keep it dry and assuming you have ventilation and don't have too many chickens for the amount of shavings, the coop doesn't smell bad. But it won't break down to anything other than dusty pine bits, if you let it go that long, and that is likely mostly from raking it every morning month after month after month, etc. 


How did you manage to NOT use the stock tank heater in a MA winter??? You aren't THAT far south of me 


Good plan! I went from basically no eggs winter 2015 (with ten 2.5 Y/O hens) to a reasonable amount in the spring and summer. Got weak in the fall when they moulted before the June chicks started working, some starting in November. The pullets have worked all winter and now 6 of the 9 nearly 4 Y/O girls are laying and I'm trying to figure out what to do with all the eggs. My long time regular customers (2 people I used to work with) are really patient through the lean times but they don't each need 2 dozen eggs a week now that the girls are kicking out 9 - 11 eggs a DAY. But since chickens are chickens, likely the younger girls will knock off after they moult in the fall so there won't be much in the way of eggs next winter. 

So ... if you WAIT until next spring to get more chicks, you can have eggs this coming winter AND the next winter without overloading the coop and egg cartons this fall 


hygrometers measure humidity, not temperature.

Well, we didn't put the nipple waterer in until the endd of February and we also have had a very mild winter this year. Only a couple snow storms and it really didn't even snow much at all amd only a few really cold days. I had 2 nights when it froze. One I went out and there was ice over the top of the bucket and down the sides over the nipples and that water was COLD but the nippled were still flowing for some reason. A little bit harder to press so I did that for them but still flowing. The second time was just a few days ago with that April snow we had. This time they wouldn't flow. Took it out, broke the ice off the top and dumped it, brought it inside, ran it under some hot water to melt the ice off the sides and the nipples, and refilled it. I also filled a small tupperware container with warm water for them that day. They loved it. So yeah. I bet next year we will need that heater though.

 

[Redwolf141]

How,do I know,when it is time to take the MHP out of the brooder. When I get up and turn the light on in the morning the chicks are in the corner chirping happily but not under the MHP. They don't seem cold. They are still in the house cause the coop is,still not finished. The house temp at night is 62 and during the,day 67.

 

[Blooie]

Simply turn the pad down to 1 and then keep an eye on them. If they truly don't need it, they won't even notice! If they still want to be under and you aren't quite sure if they are totally ready, then you can pop it back up to two. I forget how old yours would be now...that would help.

 

[Redwolf141]

Simply turn the pad down to 1 and then keep an eye on them.  If they truly don't need it, they won't even notice!  If they still want to be under and you aren't quite sure if they are totally ready, then you can pop it back up to two.  I forget how old yours would be now...that would help.

thanks Blooie they are 3 1/2 weeks old and it is,turned down to one for the last two,days and each morning they are in the corner far away from it huddled in the corner chirping away. The light goes on and the,start to eat run and play

 

[junebuggena]

This is a great idea!! We've never really had a garden and when we did it was years and years ago and it totally failed.

My brother and I did try I think last year or the year before and we had the plants grow but we didn't get any fruit. The peppers never grew but my brothers girlfriend said peppers are pretty hard to do, and I think we had cherry tomatoes do really well but animals ate them. According to my brother deer came and ate everything, down to the ground. I don't remember that but he told me a few days ago.

This year I ordered 2 kinds of pumpkin seeds and kale mix seeds but we have not planted them yet. I want to go to the store and get some more seeds too and have a real garden this year with veggies and herbs and everything.

I've seen the raised wooden beds and the gardening in buckets or 55 gallon drums but never anything like this and I think this may work well.

I know you mentioned fruit trees and he mentioned tomatoes but do you think it'd work for other veggies or herbs?

Or pumpkins? When we had pumpkins one year they took over the whole garden.

And we always have rabbits or other animals eat all the veggies before we can.

Kale is mostly a spring/fall veggie. It likes cooler weather. If you try to grow kale during the months when it's over 80* consistently, it will bolt before you get leaves big enough for eating. Tomatoes, peppers, and squash (pumpkins) are 'hot' weather plants. They need consistent warm weather to thrive. If you plant them too late in the year, you're not going to get 'fruit' from them. Raised beds are great if you live in a climate with a short 'warm' season. The raised beds typically have a warmer soil temp, than in ground beds, and will allow you to grow 'warm' weather crops more easily. If you live in a place that has very warm (75*+) weather from May through September, don't even try to grow greens of any kind, broccoli, or peas in raised beds. The raised beds just get too warm for those types of plants.