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

[aart]

Quote: Go by their behavior ..nerve racking at first but you'll soon learn when they are unhappy.
Having a thermometer in the brooder can be a good tool to augment your observations.

Substitute 'MHP' for 'lamp'...same theory applies...tho sometimes with the MHP you have to shove them underneath and hold them there until they 'feel the heat'.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed.

 

[suchcutenails]

Will some of you share the size of your heating pad nests? I have 13 babies. They are now two and three weeks old. They are not spending much time under the pad ~ even at night. Last night they slept in another corner, all huddled together. I have turned the heat down on the pad as low as it goes (as previously suggested). They all act normal and happy! No signs of distress! That is great, but I am hoping to move the whole thing outside into the big coop this weekend, and I am worried about WHY they don't want to be in the nest. Could it be too small as they are growing? I am using one large 12 x 24 heating pad. Thanks again for your help!!!

 

[mobius]

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

Yes.

The Eggplant...I should have guessed!!

 

[aart]

Will some of you share the size of your heating pad nests? I have 13 babies. They are now two and three weeks old. They are not spending much time under the pad ~ even at night. Last night they slept in another corner, all huddled together. I have turned the heat down on the pad as low as it goes (as previously suggested). They all act normal and happy! No signs of distress! That is great, but I am hoping to move the whole thing outside into the big coop this weekend, and I am worried about WHY they don't want to be in the nest. Could it be too small as they are growing? I am using one large 12 x 24 heating pad. Thanks again for your help!!!

I have 16 three week olds with a 12x24 set at 4, they barely fit under there...some 'leak' out the edges.
Am kind of surprised they are still underneath instead on top at night, they often lounge on top during the day, but they are in the coop with nights in the 40F's.
Downside to MHP over a lamp is the available space under there.

If they don't seem distressed and are not piling on top of each other, they are probably fine.

Make them a 'huddle box', put it in the brooder after turning off the heat(you might have to 'persuade' them to use it) then move it out to the coop with them.
Cardboard box with a bottom a little bigger than what they need to cuddle next to each other without piling and tall enough for them to stand in.
Cut an opening on one side a couple inches from bottom and big enough for 2-3 of them to go thru at once.
Fill the bottom with some pine shavings an inch or so deep.
This will give them a cozy place to sleep/rest, block any drafts and help hold their body heat in.

 

[hpierce88]

Ok, so after seeing your fabulous set up, I'm thinking my babies need MORE ROOM to play! This looks awesome.

I was thinking of taking the Littles outside to play in the grass this afternoon, but the temps are only mid-60's, with a little breeze. You guys think they'd be okay with those temps in the afternoon sun? I have a roll of chicken wire I can make a makeshift playpen out of to keep them confined to a smaller, safer area on the lawn. Or I can put them into their actual run, too. I think they'd prefer the grass though...

I had an idea for a different support for the MHP....what about using one of those large diameter cardboard tubes like they use for cement footings? You could cut it down the middle to make it open up into an arch? Aned they're pretty heavy duty to support the weight of the chicks on top. Just a thought. My coop only has room for about 6-8 girls (fingers crossed we can get away with 8 if they all cooperate with our No-bullying Policy), so I can't really say "the next time I raise chicks" I'll try it. That makes me sad.

Forget more cowbell. I need MORE COOP!!

Heather

 

[Blooie]

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

That would be my fear too. The glass aquarium will already hold in more heat, and with the sunlight coming in from the window that light will be amplified - as well as the heat. I have to be blunt and tell you that I'd never do it. I, too, have heard that aquariums work.....but to me they're more like a crock pot than a cozy place for chicks. Of course, if you still want to use it, then I won't say more to discourage you, and you'll probably find a way to make it work just fine.

If you want to use the glass tank so you can watch them, for 3 chicks, my recommendation would be a wire dog crate. You can wire a hardware cloth skirt or even tuck cardboard around the bottom to keep them from escaping. You still have good visibility and they can see you. And you can hose it off when you're done!

As for bedding, I use pine shavings if they are inside, but I don't keep chicks inside but for a day to make sure they are all eating and drinking and not suffering shipping stress. Chicks need exposure to cooler air - they can't be in constant heat surrounding them from all points and thrive. Survive, yes. Thrive, not in my opinion. So I brood mine outside and when I do I use straw. Mne are out there right now, and rather than suffering they are growing like crazy and feathering out beautifully!

Welcome to the Broody Brigade, and remember that your dues are photos of your babies and your setup!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think they should be fine to be outside for a while, especially in the sun!! I'm not sure though, how old are they? If they're too young they may get chilled.

As for the cardboard tube, I'm not sure that would work since the basic premise of the MHP is being able to have contact with the pad and have the heat at/touching their back. However, it MIGHT work if you could somehow manage to attach the pad to the underside instead of on top since then they could touch it. Although even then I would imagine it would be harder to adjust the height as they grow and likely wouldn't be able to fit very many so would be best for brooding a few chicks. But it could possibly work.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Ok, so after seeing your fabulous set up, I'm thinking my babies need MORE ROOM to play!  This looks awesome. 

I was thinking of taking the Littles outside to play in the grass this afternoon, but the temps are only mid-60's, with a little breeze.  You guys think they'd be okay with those temps in the afternoon sun?  I have a roll of chicken wire I can make a makeshift playpen out of to keep them confined to a smaller, safer area on the lawn.  Or I can put them into their actual run, too.  I think they'd prefer the grass though...

I had an idea for a different support for the MHP....what about using one of those large diameter cardboard tubes like they use for cement footings?  You could cut it down the middle to make it open up into an arch? Aned they're pretty heavy duty to support the weight of the chicks on top.  Just a thought.  My coop only has room for about 6-8 girls (fingers crossed we can get away with 8 if they all cooperate with our No-bullying Policy), so I can't really say "the next time I raise chicks" I'll try it.    That makes me sad. 

Forget more cowbell.  I need MORE COOP!!

Heather

 

[junebuggena]

Ok, so after seeing your fabulous set up, I'm thinking my babies need MORE ROOM to play! This looks awesome.

I was thinking of taking the Littles outside to play in the grass this afternoon, but the temps are only mid-60's, with a little breeze. You guys think they'd be okay with those temps in the afternoon sun? I have a roll of chicken wire I can make a makeshift playpen out of to keep them confined to a smaller, safer area on the lawn. Or I can put them into their actual run, too. I think they'd prefer the grass though...

I had an idea for a different support for the MHP....what about using one of those large diameter cardboard tubes like they use for cement footings? You could cut it down the middle to make it open up into an arch? Aned they're pretty heavy duty to support the weight of the chicks on top. Just a thought. My coop only has room for about 6-8 girls (fingers crossed we can get away with 8 if they all cooperate with our No-bullying Policy), so I can't really say "the next time I raise chicks" I'll try it. That makes me sad.

Forget more cowbell. I need MORE COOP!!

Heather

MHP warms the chicks by direct contact with the pad. Unless you attached the pad to the underside of the tube somehow, it won't work. And 60* with sunshine is plenty warm for chicks to go out and play for a bit. Just watch them. If they start to act like they are getting chilled (huddling), then bring them in for a warm up. Trips outside should start out as short excursions, no more than a half-hour at a time. Then gradually leave them out longer and longer.

 

[hpierce88]

I think they should be fine to be outside for a while, especially in the sun!! I'm not sure though, how old are they? If they're too young they may get chilled.

As for the cardboard tube, I'm not sure that would work since the basic premise of the MHP is being able to have contact with the pad and have the heat at/touching their back. However, it MIGHT work if you could somehow manage to attach the pad to the underside instead of on top since then they could touch it. Although even then I would imagine it would be harder to adjust the height as they grow and likely wouldn't be able to fit very many so would be best for brooding a few chicks. But it could possibly work.

As best I can tell, 10 of them that I picked up on Saturday are about 10 days old, and the other two, that I just picked up Monday are maybe a few days younger. I'm totally guessing though. Now, I'm thinking maybe I'm rushing things a bit. They're not very old at all. These are pics I took yesterday. The two younger ones are silver-laced wyandottes - they're smaller than the other girls. The other 10 are: speckled Sussex (6), Barred rock (1); Red Cross (1), Buff Orps (2).