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

[mobius]

Coop de Grass, so sorry!!!

 

[aart]

((((Coop de Gras))))
Ahh.... it's hardest when you have to put them down yourself.

 

[lazy gardener]

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!!

Lily, while folks do brood in aquariums, when I see it, it scares me, especially when in front of a window. It doesn't take much for that sun to get too strong, and create a hot house effect.

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 had 22 under a 12 x 24 last year, outdoors. They did fine.

Went home to check on the little one. She was under the MHP by herself. Still head down. Still lethargic. She does something really odd also. She scoots backwards with her head on the floor of the brooder. I think she's trying to back up to the others even though they aren't there. Bought Nutridrench and Corrid. Gave her some of both with a syringe. She has eaten. There was food in her crop anyway. I realize it's just a chicken and things happen but I sure would hate to loose her. Something ironic about buying $30 worth of meds for a chicken that I gave $3.25 for a week ago. Did Corrid in the waterer for the rest of the babies just to be safe. Can't believe that I'm this upset over a sick chicken.

Edit: Forgot to say that I'm pretty sure that I have never prayed for a chicken before today but I've checked that one off the bucket list now.

Terry, what you have there is a chick with Vitamin E encephalopathy, or in layman's terms: sometimes described as crazy chick disease. You may be able to cure her by giving her a few doses of Vitamin E (I nick the end off a gel cap, and get a drop of it into the chick by wiping it on her beak, she will hopefully drink it. Selenium is often given along with the vitamin E. If not treated promptly, there will be other systemic issues. You should see immediate improvement after starting the Vitamin E. Disclaimer: I am in no way licensed to give chick medical information. But I can tell you that this did work for my chicks, though he was very advanced by the time I figured out what was going on, so he did have systemic issues later on. Do a thread search for Vit E Enc. And Cr. Ch. Dz. Reading forward, I see that you've done the research. I'd get a bolus of Vit. E into her along with continuing the ND.


Aart: I'm gonna stick my neck out here and suggest that there WAS a predator involved.

 

[susan251]

I have set up, as per Beekissed's instructions, but the trash bag is giving off a faint plastic smell. Is that normal? Should i be worried?

Don't know if this has been pointed out or not, but your chicks really need to have contact with the heating pad in order to stay warm enough....you need the heating pad to be INSIDE whatever you are using as a cave or the material of the cave needs to be open as in wire, netting, etc. so they can get direct contact with the heat source, as they would a mother. 

Here's  my setup using a small portion of welded wire fence and using bungee cords to keep the heating pad on the underside of the "mama"....this pic shows the first step in building the mama.  Her bones, so to speak. 

Then I cover that with a trash bag to keep it clean from poo(her skin), then cover that with a flannel pillow case....her feathers.

More feathers....hay.

Then added chicks...you can see them putting their backs up against her warm "belly".  You really need that heating pad where they can put their little bodies up against it without the coffee can creating a barrier to that process.

With such a setup they can feel the warmth from mama from underneath and also by standing on top of her....but the bottom is most definitely warmer. 

With the wire framing you can adjust the height in less than a second by just pressing down on the middle.   The meat chicks in the above pic didn't need the mama to be low to the ground as they don't tolerate heat as well as standard laying type chicks.  For regular chicks I position it so they have to duck and crawl a little to get underneath it so that the heat source is closer to their bodies...as they age I just pull that middle portion upward and also turn down the pad a little so they can transition much like a mama hen does for them. 

With a coffee can you can't make such adjustments, nor can they have direct access to the heat source....I'd suggest using a different material for your HPM. 

 

[mrssteciw]

I just introduced my 1 week australorps (6) to my day old buff/barred rocks (4). They seem to be mixing okay, save for some hierarchy establishment, but should I worry about the older ones keeping the littles out of the "cave"?

 

[Molpet]

Hello everyone,

I am so sad. I had to put down my Olive egger roo that I rescued on March 30. It had to be done. I had removed him from the other chicks in the hatch because they outgrew him complete. I put him in with the chicks that hatched on April 12, and they were bigger than he was on day 3. He had issues with pasty butt even though I tried to keep him clean, put corn meal in his food, and olive oli around his vent. DH was going to take care of it for me, but I gritted my teeth and decided that if I was going to have chickens and hatch chicks, I needed to do this myself. It has been 3 days, and it still bothers me because I think that he may have suffered. I've discovered that wringing a chicks neck is simple, but that they continue moving and cheeping. It was awful even though I know that it was the right thing to do.

I have since read on a culling forum that ether/starter fluid might be a better method. That is the little guy under the water bottle. He is the same age as the chicks on the left.

I sure could use a hug.

 

[WyoJax]

Lol, yup, that sounds like the right method of selection:  "the most expensive one they had."  ha ha.  And here the rest of my family is using old rice in a worn sock for a heating pad substitute, because I'm too "cheep" to buy THEM the super deluxe one like the chicks have.  Bah ha ha ha. 

I'm glad I'm not the only one. But having a usable real heating pad was a big point to be made when purchasing a 35.00 heating pad for chickens. My husband just shook his head.

 

[MesMama]

Went home to check on the little one. She was under the MHP by herself. Still head down. Still lethargic. She does something really odd also. She scoots backwards with her head on the floor of the brooder. I think she's trying to back up to the others even though they aren't there. Bought Nutridrench and Corrid. Gave her some of both with a syringe. She has eaten. There was food in her crop anyway. I realize it's just a chicken and things happen but I sure would hate to loose her. Something ironic about buying $30 worth of meds for a chicken that I gave $3.25 for a week ago. Did Corrid in the waterer for the rest of the babies just to be safe. Can't believe that I'm this upset over a sick chicken.  

Edit: Forgot to say that I'm pretty sure that I have never prayed for a chicken before today but I've checked that one off the bucket list now.

((Hugs)) I pray over all of my chickens regularly <3 They're in His hands and I need constant reminding of that. Yes we do what we need to in order to keep them safe/healthy but ultimately they're His creation.

Re: buying medicine, totally get it too But IF it's something that the medicine helps the rest of your chicks with then it will be worth it *thumbs up*

 

[WyoJax]

Oh Coop!!
Big hugs, I believe you made the best decision. And honestly even though I work in the animal medical field, I don't think I could do it myself. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Terry how is that baby doing? I just read through the rest of the posts I've missed. Looks very Neurological to me, brace yourself. I wish you the best with that cute baby.

 

[aart]

Aart: I'm gonna stick my neck out here and suggest that there WAS a predator involved.

Why @lazy gardener ?