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

[COChix]

I ain't a good waiter.  

Tru dat! I hate waiting....maybe they are sleeping on top of the coop. We can just start guessing. you know make a game of it.

 

[junebuggena]

Thanks. Yes, it is funny to watch some of the behaviors unfold. But hey, the older girls ruthless when it comes to roosting space at bedtime, even though there is more than enough roosting space.

I am throwing this out to the group, some behavior I am seeing which has me wondering if it could be a cockerel. So the white chick, who was the last to hatch and was the smallest until recent, has now taken to jumping up on the stump that I feed the flock their ferment from. It is the first up on the stump when I bring food into the flock and the adults let it eat first, while I place feed in the other two feeding stations. The other two chicks get chased off the feed a lot. Tonight I observed it not getting chased off the feeder at all and it stayed on the stump the whole time while eating and was untouched by the adults. Anyone else experience any like this while raising babies? also I am sure the old hens know right away who is males vs females. Do they treat them differently as babies? I can't say I noticed this last year, but I also integrated the chicks much later.

Honestly, it doesn't mean a thing. The older girls just tolerate that one better, or it's a very gusty chick. Either way, it's not a gender indicator.

 

[chickenmomma16]

I have 20-25 chicks coming the first week in June and I would love to do this method of brooding. What size pad, or how many stations for this number of chicks? Also, what brand of heating pad does everyone like the best?

 

[junebuggena]

I have 20-25 chicks coming the first week in June and I would love to do this method of brooding. What size pad, or how many stations for this number of chicks? Also, what brand of heating pad does everyone like the best?

Two large pads over one frame is better than doing two separate caves. With two caves and lots of chicks, they may try to all like up into one cave, ignoring the other. Sunbeam is the brand most commonly used, but any pad with the option to stay on will do. Do not attempt to use a pad with an autoshut off that can't be disabled.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quick question for those of you that are integrating young birds into the adult flock.

Do you all have covered outdoor runs? What I'm really asking is about hawk protection for the little ones if they go outside.



In my smaller hen shed there was a covered pen outdoors so I could let the young ones out without fear of hawks. I could keep the younger birds confined in part of it while the olders were let out onto full range. In my current setup, if they go outdoors they have no pen. So right now my biggest challenge in integrating is not wanting them to get taken by hawks.

Plus... there is no one home during the day so I can't even observe what's going on if they go out unless it's after work or on the weekends.

The elders have open door all day long to come and go as they please so it makes it hard to integrate even while indoors unless I just keep the elders inside too. Definitely NOT what I want to do.

So...I'm contemplating how to integrate in that kind of situation.

 

[azygous]

The panic room method of integration is independent of run or coop design. Having a covered run is preferable for all the chickens no matter the age. It gives them cover during the day even if they free range, and it offers shelter from the climate.

It makes it a lot less stressful for the chicks as they get up their courage to venture out to free range. My chicks stick very close to the covered run for a couple weeks, ready to duck back under cover at a second's notice. So, yes, a covered run is very beneficial in the development of chicks.

 

[Blooie]

The panic room method of integration is independent of run or coop design. Having a covered run is preferable for all the chickens no matter the age. It gives them cover during the day even if they free range, and it offers shelter from the climate.

It makes it a lot less stressful for the chicks as they get up their courage to venture out to free range. My chicks stick very close to the covered run for a couple weeks, ready to duck back under cover at a second's notice. So, yes, a covered run is very beneficial in the development of chicks.

Absolutely agree!


Playing outside with the Bigs, but they still stick pretty close to the run and duck back in if they want to. When one of the older girls did one of her "for-absolutely-no-reason-panic-flapping" run, they hightailed it back in under cover without even knowing what was going on. I like that behavior!!!



Out in the run with the Bigs.

 

[Island Juli]

Night time infrared camera shot, but they are all over the place. 8 of them either on top, totally under or part way under. They are almost 2 weeks old.

 

[Blooie]

Night time infrared camera shot, but they are all over the place. 8 of them either on top, totally under or part way under. They are almost 2 weeks old.

Yep, that looks about right!!

 

[marie24248]

Wow love this idea!