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

[OrganicFarmWife]

aw that's sad. She looked very weak in the picture. She knew she was loved. Wishing you well.

And she was very weak. It is ok, I did hide her from my girls, thing 1 and 2. They are fairly good at accepting death, but thing 1 is three and already very morbid. (I never realized it but every fairytale begins with the mother dieing...)

 

[lalaland]

my heart stopped when i saw this, but.....




she was just sleeping. never seen a chick sleep with legs outstretched like that.

A few pasty butts this morning - which I've always associated with too much heat. I have one of those pads that has only 3 heat settings, and it is on high. But, they are 2-3 days old, it is chilly and damp here - low 50's last night and all the up to 60 now. raining.

the chicks are already hopping on top of the grate.

tomorrow I will add sod chunks to the brooder.

 

[harley587]

my heart stopped when i saw this, but.....




she was just sleeping. never seen a chick sleep with legs outstretched like that.

A few pasty butts this morning - which I've always associated with too much heat. I have one of those pads that has only 3 heat settings, and it is on high. But, they are 2-3 days old, it is chilly and damp here - low 50's last night and all the up to 60 now. raining.

the chicks are already hopping on top of the grate.

tomorrow I will add sod chunks to the brooder.

I had the same reaction when I found one of mine sleeping like that! They do look like they are no longer with us!!

 

[beautifulpirate]

Just visiting. I'm needing a chick fix since mine are already 12 WEEKS OLD!!! Can barely wait to build the coop extension so we can get some more babies... They are all so cute! I'm jelly!
Chicken math creates other math too- coop extension math, budgeting for coop extension math, etc.

 

[beautifulpirate]

My four chicks are just about done with MHP. At just over three weeks, they aren't using it at all during the day, even on 60 degree days like we've been having. Instead, they find opportune spots to gather to loaf, like on top the broody cage. They are getting used to sleeping in the coop and have the heating pad on a lower setting. By the weekend, I doubt they'll want to sleep under it. By the way, I just noticed the two light chicks appear to be getting straight combs instead of the normal EE pea comb. Seems a bit strange.

Adorable! I love the feathering out stage when they look awkward lol.

 

[Murphy212]

aart.....thanks for your reply and ideas. Been very busy so sorry for the delay in thanking you. I did as you suggested and put up another roost for the little ones and devised a cover for the nest boxes that I put in place in the evening and remove first thing in the morning. It is keeping them and their poop out of the nest boxes! Hopefully, in a couple of weeks as the littles get bigger and more sure of themselves, they will assert themselves and take their spot on the roost with the bigs.
thanks again and I do appreciate the ideas.
Murphy

 

[aart]

aart.....thanks for your reply and ideas. Been very busy so sorry for the delay in thanking you. I did as you suggested and put up another roost for the little ones and devised a cover for the nest boxes that I put in place in the evening and remove first thing in the morning. It is keeping them and their poop out of the nest boxes! Hopefully, in a couple of weeks as the littles get bigger and more sure of themselves, they will assert themselves and take their spot on the roost with the bigs.
thanks again and I do appreciate the ideas.
Murphy

No problem, glad to help.
I wouldn't count on the littles taking a place on the main roost until they start laying, even then they will likely still be subordinates in the pecking order.
But you never know with chickens<shrugs>

Some of my 9 week olds have been roosting on the far end of one of the main roosts, but only because none of the bigs like that spot.

 

[henless]

my heart stopped when i saw this, but.....




she was just sleeping. never seen a chick sleep with legs outstretched like that.

A few pasty butts this morning - which I've always associated with too much heat. I have one of those pads that has only 3 heat settings, and it is on high. But, they are 2-3 days old, it is chilly and damp here - low 50's last night and all the up to 60 now. raining.

the chicks are already hopping on top of the grate.

tomorrow I will add sod chunks to the brooder.

That is one thing with using this system, you don't see as many "dead" chicks scattered all over the brooder like you do with a heat lamp!

I let my littles out today. They are 5 & 6 weeks old. They've had a high time exploring in their run under all the grass/weeds that have sprung up. I believe there are even some sunflowers that have sprouted. I didn't take a pic this morning, but will try and get one this afternoon. They are enjoying the sunshine. They don't get direct sun in their coop.

I kicked my BR bigs into the coop with my Australorp hens. The BR had started picking on the littles even though they are only 4 weeks older. They've done good in the the Aussies.They do get pecked when they don't get out of the way, but the Aussies don't go out of their way to harass the BR's.

 

[lalaland]

I have the 25 chicks in a hoop coop, covered with a billboard tarp. THe brooder is sitting on an overturned stock tank, because I didn't want to get on my hands and knees every morning to deal with feed and water,e tc. So, it is about4 1/2 ' above ground.

It gets hot! the air temp in the hoop coop on the floor of the brooder was easily almost 90. I am trying to roll up the tarp up the sides to get some more air flow, but, the brooder has those 12' sides - so no draft at all. Having a little pasty butt (3 or 4 chicks out of 25, which I am attributing to the heat.
They are only 5 days old.

I have the heating pads on high at night - it was 44 degrees this morning. I lowered them to medium (only three settings) this afternoon when the sun came out and things were heating up - I would say 20 or so of the chicks stayed out of the MHP all afternoon, but a few were snoozing in there.

THink the sun and the hoop coop are adding a complication with lack of air flow. I am a little worried about the work week when I leave when it is 40 0r 50 degrees, out, and when it gets too hot in the coop by noon and I am gone....

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland

Is there some say that you could get them on the floor instead of in a small brooder in there? Possibly divide off part of it and make it chick-safe so they can't get out anywhere but they have more room to get away from the heat and lower to the ground for more ventilation where the heat isn't rising?