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

[aart]

This morning wake up and roll call, snow suppose to taper off around noon. I am re-thinking that whole brooder areas, as once the snow melts that is sitting on top of the wc, on top of the run it will be a muddy mess in there. I had put down a bunch of straw before setting up their brooder so hoping that helps.

Chicks seem to be doing well, cave temp this am was 75.

Oh Geez....I feel for ya. Hoping the wet spot is not a problem.

First experience with a pop door this morning. Drinking coffee and reading about the importance of heat lamps and not letting your birds out until at least 3 weeks old. Still waiting for my week and a half year old girls to kick the bucket....
Any time now.....

What is in that waterer....looks like ......hahahaha!

 

[GranolaGirl72]

Combination of electrolytes and probiotics, but I see where you were going with that, lol.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm sorry, LG.

This has not been the best two months for you, has it?

Eh.... can't get concerned about the egglets. It is what it is. Temp fluctuations are a pain in the donkey. (temp in styro dropped, and temp in cooler went up to 104 last night.) And can't expect a lot from shipped eggs, to start with!

Yep, they suuuuuuure look unhealthy. Might be any minute now...

Careful what you post. Some one just might have to report you to the ASPCA or PETA! Perhaps we need to have a betting pool on time of death. Winning prize will be a... HEAT LAMP!

 

[Blooie]

Good morning, Brigade! Nice to log in this morning and see so many dues payments! Lover it, keep 'em coming!! Looks like most of the questions folks had have been answered so I just get to sit back and admire the chicks and the set ups!

Terry, I think your mom should become the official "Lodge Mom" here, what say you? We could all adopt her! (In truth I think several of us already have)! She reminds me a lot of my friend @Beekissed 's mom.....Bee has a special name for her, given and always spoken with nothing but love - and she also has a heck of a fan club, me strongly included! But you know, a gang of rebels can't have too many moms, right?

CO, I had to look twice - your outdoor setup looks so much like mine that I did a double take! Mine are headed out today. We got the little problem with the one side that didn't want to stay in place secured, so it won't be long now. I have a ton of pictures. Just haven't loaded them yet. And if he comes back inside and I'm sitting here instead of getting my jacket on I'm likely to be in big doo-doo!

The plan is to have them beginning integration with the flock in before the new ones go outside. Those are due to hatch on the 29th. So that gives the Littles the next 2 weeks out there, then the third week the portals get opened, and the fourth week the Tinys will take the Little's places and the Littles will be evicted. But that also means a week of having the Tinys inside. And we all know how plans can go.

Well, best get to it. Got a couple more threads to catch up on and then out I (and the Littles) go!

 

[Finnie]

Quote:
I want to steal your mom too.

 

[aart]

All the chicks went out on their own today and are running/flying up and down/on and off the ramp.
One little bugger has what looks like dried blood in the wattle areas, setting up a 'capture area' so I can grab him(?) and check it out.

Still not using the HN's but put up a VN( I hate those things!) and they get that....baby steps.<rollseyes>

 

[hpierce88]

Had my first (and second!) chick crisis this morning...hadn't even finished my coffee yet, dammit! One of my little Sussex had a pasty butt. She was NOT happy with me, glaring at me the entire time I ran her little toosh under some warm water to loosen it up. She's all clean now, put a little bacitracin on it to keep it lubed and poop-free. I'm noticing now, though, that she's smaller than the other Sussex girls that I got. Her whole backside doesn't look quite as "developed" as the others, like her butt is too short or something. I guess chickens have runts of the litter, too, right? Maybe she's just a late bloomer? Or am I in for a heartache if I get too attached?

Second crisis, still only half-way through my first cup of coffee...another of the babies got her head stuck in the wire frame under the MHP. I peeked in there and saw her little head up over the bar, eyes closed - Talk about HEART ATTACK!! She was fine. Apparently, it's the in thing to try to sleep like that because another one did it too. Gah! I decided to thwart off any further issues by covering the wire with the press 'n seal (I'm still so impressed by that stuff because it's so new to me! What's the saying...simple minds? LOL). Anyways, long story short, I learned that press -n -seal sticks to chicks, and vice versa. Who knew?!! Funny now. Wasn't so funny while it was happening. Would have made an awesome episode of Laverne & Shirley, let me tell you. I also learned that you cannot efficiently make renovations with the chicks present. Duly noted. Ended up taking all the littles out of the kennel and putting them in a box with some shavings. Took out the wire frame, covered it completely with the p 'n s and put everything back together. Phew!

Back to my little crusty butt, who I think I'm going to call Squeaker...she appears to be eating and drinking okay, and she is active, but she is squawking quite a bit. Nothing too obnoxious, but definitely not your regular cheep cheep of a content chick, more like a half-way distress call, or maybe like an "I'm annoyed?" Some of the other chicks are already sleeping on top of the MHP, so I don't think she's cold, and it shouldn't be too warm in the cave as the temp reads between 78-80 depending on ambient room temp, so....??? I'm guessing I just keep an eye on her for now? Is there anything I should be doing for her or looking out for, besides more butt-junk?

On a lighter note, the chicks had their first little pecks at some grit, and out of my palm at that, so now I can give them some hard-boiled egg later as a treat. I'm excited to watch THAT whole circus! I also made my first nipple waterer out of a small plastic coffee can. A few of the babies have already started pecking at it, but because I'm worried they won't know enough to keep drinking, (and also for Squeaker) I have the other water in there still. I figure, since they're only a week old, they've got time and the room to be spoiled, and it's more important for them to have adequate water while they're little. Am I worrying too much?

Heather

 

[hpierce88]

Update: Squeaker was at the feeder while I was watching them and I saw her poop. It was pretty liquidy, mostly clear with a white and avocado'ish colored center. Figuring she's a little "off" because of the pasty butt issues, but....you guessed it....I'm worrying. Is this okay? Egads! I don't remember human babies causing me this much concern. Lol. Perhaps I'm just a better mom now??

 

[aart]

Update: Squeaker was at the feeder while I was watching them and I saw her poop. It was pretty liquidy, mostly clear with a white and avocado'ish colored center. Figuring she's a little "off" because of the pasty butt issues, but....you guessed it....I'm worrying. Is this okay? Egads! I don't remember human babies causing me this much concern. Lol. Perhaps I'm just a better mom now??

Just keep an eye on her butt and poops.
It can take a few days for the ole digestive system to get up to snuff.

 

[Blooie]

Others have also reported chicks getting hung up in the wires...I guess in an attempt to get as close to the pad as possible. I have never had that happen, but just in case I modified mine a couple of days ago the the way @Beekissed does hers and boy, is it ever easy to do! I love Press 'n Seal, but early on in the thread we discussed the possibility of the adhesive adhering to the pad when put directly on it. So I just put it on the top of the towel. Never thought about it sticking to the chicks, but since they only have it on top of the towel and there's no ends of it loose anywhere, it's been a non-issue for me.

Here is a link the page with information on how Bee does it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update/450

Pasty butt is a pain in the butt, no two ways about it. It may take her a little bit to start pooping normally after cleaning, but at least she got some out rather than being totally blocked and possibly dying a miserable death. Couldn't hazard a guess as to the distressed cheeping, unless she got a chill after being wet. Maybe a bit of a tummy ache if she'd been blocked up too, I don't know. Just make sure she stays warm. Shove her under there if you have to. (Tuff love) If she's pretty runty she may be struggling just to survive, and with chicks, whether raised under a lamp or MHP there are never any guarantees. Some just don't thrive.

I haven't had any PB since starting with MHP......wait, that's a lie. I had two chicks with it when I first got them and before I put them out I cleaned them and put a dab of olive oil on them. Had to clean it off the same two chicks a second time, but no repeat performances after that. I guess that's not bad out of 33 chicks. With my first batch of chicks, lamp raised, I battled it with them constantly! I repeat what I've said before - I have absolutely NO scientific proof that MHP prevents Pasty Butt. But overheating, overeating, and lack of true sleep must play some kind of role or broody raised chicks would suffer from it as much as brooder raised chicks, and it just doesn't seem to happen.