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

[mobius]

Hi all....I'm new to the idea of having chicks. I got my first chickens at 8-9 weeks old last July. (Yay! We all survived our Canadian winter! LOL)

I'm REALLY intrigued by the idea of creating a mama hen cave for the 3 chicks I plan on getting this weekend. Since I'm in Canada and our weather isn't the warmest yet, I'll be keeping my chicks inside the house for a little while yet. Our garage is cold and dark so I don't want them staying in there...I want them to socialize with us! And I love the idea of raising them more naturally with the cycles of the sun. So because they will be in the house, I really don't want to use a heat lamp. I have dogs that if they got curious, could knock a lamp over. (Whereas they couldn't knock over a mama hen cave!! My brooder will be a 50 gal fish tank that we have in our basement. I've read lots of other people have had good luck with them as long as there is adequate ventilation. We will make a frame and wire mesh top for it so there is lots of air circulation.

My question is....can I use the mama hen heating pad cave in a fish tank? I could put it on one end and they would still have plenty of room to roam around. Is there any reason this wouldn't work?? And what kind of bedding is best to use? I have straw or pine shavings available.

And also, if anyone else can answer another question....Could I put my fish tank brooder in front of a window?

Thanks so much!!

Window should be nice for them...do be aware that they may outgrow even a 50 gallon tank rather quickly as their size doubles every week or so...you may want a thermometer in the tank to check it doesn't get too hot in overall ambient temp with MHP and window. Straw vs pine shavings is mostly personal preference from what I have seen....I use pine shavings, many others use straw...so I would support use of MHP in the tank with that caveat of the thermometer... not under MHP, just in the tank....

 

[LilyBird]

Window should be nice for them...do be aware that they may outgrow even a 50 gallon tank rather quickly as their size doubles every week or so...you may want a thermometer in the tank to check it doesn't get too hot in overall ambient temp with MHP and window. Straw vs pine shavings is mostly personal preference from what I have seen....I use pine shavings, many others use straw...so I would support use of MHP in the tank with that caveat of the thermometer... not under MHP, just in the tank....

Ok great. So they can sit in front of the window and have a view! I will definitely put a thermometer inside the tank. What should the temperature be for one week old chicks? And how will I know that the heating pad is warm enough for them? Just if they come out from under it?

I guess shavings would be easier for clean up...its just that straw looks so cozy for them! lol

 

[mobius]

Re: the right temp...you just don't want it getting too hot in there....they will have MHP to get warm so I would say room temp in your house in the rest of the brooder...then they run back and forth from under the MHP...the wisdom of others on this thread says that chicks will let you know by their behavior how they are doing and to adjust conditions accordingly....

I love love love your purple coop! How bold of you! My covenanants for my property say I have to match the house with any outbuilding...so you can guess how far a purple coop would go! I can dream, can't I?

 

[TerryH]

haha, let me just dig a hole in the ground and bury my face right in

Hope you forgive me, TerryH's wife

Not to worry. Cheryl's hair has been totally white since she was in her 30's. She's used to it.

 

[LilyBird]

Re: the right temp...you just don't want it getting too hot in there....they will have MHP to get warm so I would say room temp in your house in the rest of the brooder...then they run back and forth from under the MHP...the wisdom of others on this thread says that chicks will let you know by their behavior how they are doing and to adjust conditions accordingly....

I love love love your purple coop! How bold of you! My covenanants for my property say I have to match the house with any outbuilding...so you can guess how far a purple coop would go! I can dream, can't I?

Ok great! So I'll just rely on them to let me know.

Haha Thanks!! My favourite colour is purple...(I even had a purple car lol) but my husband won't let me decorate the rooms in our house with purple, and I needed SOMETHING that was purple....so because the chickens were my birthday present last year, and I was the one who wanted them...I just decided one day to paint the coop purple. And he loves it! LOL Still have to get my sign hung above it that says "The Egg Plant" ....I just love the play on words. lol

 

[Jensownzoo]

Ok great. So they can sit in front of the window and have a view! I will definitely put a thermometer inside the tank. What should the temperature be for one week old chicks? And how will I know that the heating pad is warm enough for them? Just if they come out from under it?


I guess shavings would be easier for clean up...its just that straw looks so cozy for them! lol

Be careful they don't roast in the sun. An aquarium tends to amplify sunlight and trap heat as opposed to a mesh cage.

 

[Blooie]

@Blooie re: not being able to edit/change the beginning of this thread...I agree with everyone here....I read the beginning and the end before I made my MHP....got many more tips, e.g. the pillow case. Also, hardware cloth may not be the best thing to use if not covered properly...I used the larger 2x4 fence wire just like you originally did...must be less chance of a chick getting stuck, I would think?

Frustrating not to be able to edit, but the thread is pretty big now...everyone having a LOT of fun here with your good guidance!

Anyway, I wonder if writing a definitive article for the forum, at this point, would be a good idea....then we could just point folks to the article....with changes, suggestions for a baby monitor maybe etc etc etc. Just my thoughts. I would help cause i don't want to make more work for you, if you would like help, just ask!

I did an article on Mama Heating Pad last year, and I can edit that. @Beekissed 's excellent photos and explanation page could be linked there as well. The problem is that it's just as easy to link directly to the MHP page with Bee's info as it would be to link to my article, so if someone missed the links to one they'd most likely miss the links to the other. It moves pretty fast, and usually by the time someone needs to look for the changes they've already lost or almost lost a chick.

 

[LilyBird]

Be careful they don't roast in the sun. An aquarium tends to amplify sunlight and trap heat as opposed to a mesh cage.

Yes I was thinking about that, but the particular window I'm thinking about doesn't get direct sunlight for very long. And its in a little area of my house that tends to be cooler...so I don't think I'll have a problem with them overheating...more so I'll be worried that they aren't warm enough. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely keep it in mind.

 

[LilyBird]

I did an article on Mama Heating Pad last year, and I can edit that. @Beekissed 's excellent photos and explanation page could be linked there as well. The problem is that it's just as easy to link directly to the MHP page with Bee's info as it would be to link to my article, so if someone missed the links to one they'd most likely miss the links to the other. It moves pretty fast, and usually by the time someone needs to look for the changes they've already lost or almost lost a chick.

Blooie...I'm a newbie to the idea, and I admit I read about the first 10 pages, and then skipped to the last. Could you link your article again for us? With a toddler, I just don't have enough time to read all 600 pages of this thread lol But I would definitely love to read the most updated info on MHPs. Thank you so much for starting this thread!

 

[hpierce88]

Ok great! So I'll just rely on them to let me know.

Haha Thanks!! My favourite colour is purple...(I even had a purple car lol) but my husband won't let me decorate the rooms in our house with purple, and I needed SOMETHING that was purple....so because the chickens were my birthday present last year, and I was the one who wanted them...I just decided one day to paint the coop purple. And he loves it! LOL Still have to get my sign hung above it that says "The Egg Plant" ....I just love the play on words. lol"

Ha ha ha, "Egg Plant!" I'm rotflmao! I LOVE IT!!