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

[Victoria-nola]

Finally got some pictures. The littles were 3 weeks old this past Monday. I had been very worried that they wouldn't stay in the coop stall very long after being given portals from the brooder, but it turns out they stayed in the stall more than a week, and only just came out into the yard today, this very day. I wound up setting things up so there is birdnetting overhead most of the yard, and 1-inch poultry wire covering 36-42 inches of the cattle panel fencing surrounding the chicken yard. We knew they were about to emerge from the pop door as of yesterday, so blocked off the exit last night. Once the pop door opened today, all the chickens were outside, including the littles. It's been a great day of them progressively getting more confident and the bigs have been completely fine with them. I'm so stoked!

First picture is our rooster, purchased as a purebred Ameracauna Blue.

Here is a picture from 1 week old:

Pictures from 2 weeks, 6 days old:



Pictures from today at 3 weeks, 2 days old:
(Sorry some of them are in deep shade so hard to see anything, but wanted to show that they are very much mixing with the Bigs.)









The chicks have been getting more and more comfortable with me and when I sat down out in the chicken yard they mobbed me, flying onto me, jumping up, perching on arms and legs. Very sweet. My other two batches of chicks (the adults you see here) were never that friendly, although there were friendly chicks in each batch. The photos showing the small-size feeder and waterer are taken from the side of the barn where the chicks are hanging out in the shade. Around the front are the adult-sized feeders and waterer, grit and oyster shell bowls, etc. We had put some sod that we dug up along the barn to try to shore up the erosion, it has taken hold, and turned out to be perfect protection and cuddle space for the littles. Flash is in that picture-- she is being very motherly towards them. Sorry such a long post-- wanted to go ahead and git these photos posted.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I wound up setting things up so there is birdnetting overhead most of the yard, and 1-inch poultry wire covering 36-42 inches of the cattle panel fencing surrounding the chicken yard.

Specifically, what is the bird netting you are using? Could you post a link?

 

[Victoria-nola]

Quote: It's usually available in 2-3 different sizes at Lowe's. Here is a list of various types of packaging via Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=bird+netting

The only thing it is good for is protecting from raptors overhead (this would not keep out squirrels or any other mammals, nor does it keep out jays, but it will go a long way toward keeping out hawks), or, you can add long poles (like bamboo) to your fence uprights, string clothesline along the fence line between the poles (at the top), then use clothespins to attach the bird netting to the clothesline. That creates a much taller fence that will keep in birds where you want them, or keep them out of a veg garden if they are flying in. For the fence thing I prefer using a different kind of netting that is a little more substantial because this lightweight birdnetting tangles up and rips easily. But I had this on hand and wanted to create a little cover..

Hope this helps.

p.s. the chicks stayed in the shade (under cover) almost all of the time just like the adult birds were doing.

 

[woods79]

hopefully today we will have our chicks, or tomorrow hoping for today, I have my brooding area set up with my MHP in place. it is 60 deg. F in the coop this morning but under the MHP on a #6 it was 110 deg so I know it is heating fine with the cooler temps.

When using the MHP do you leave a light on for the chicks all night?

 

[Tika75]

hopefully today we will have our chicks, or tomorrow hoping for today, I have my brooding area set up with my MHP in place. it is 60 deg. F in the coop this morning but under the MHP on a #6 it was 110 deg so I know it is heating fine with the cooler temps.

When using the MHP do you leave a light on for the chicks all night?

I didn't have a light in with mine. IMHO no light helps them learn day/night schedule. If they are in a garage or someplace without good lighting, it might be good to have some during the day to help them learn the day/night routine.

 

[Blooie]

Looks like a nice, spacious spot for them. Might I suggest that you take the newspaper out? It doesn't make good footing for chicks and can lead to all kinds of foot and leg issues in the chicks. You can leave the paper in if you want to help make cleaning a little easier, but cover it with pine shavings or some such. Lots of people worry about them eating the pine shavings, and granted some of them do peck at it and try it. But if you get the large flake shavings (not cedar) they really can ingest enough to do any damage. I use it all the time, and if I'm brooding in the house for a couple of days I'll toss some paper toweling over the shavings for a day or so until I know they are eating out of their feeder.

110 degrees sounds pretty warm, especially with coop temps in the 60s. Mine are out in the run, temps still in the 40s, and they are on 2 now. I started them out there on 4 or 5 when temps were still in the twenties. Did you measure the temp on the floor under MHP or rig it to the underside of the pad directly? When mine were just a few days old and this thread was new, my friend @azygous asked me what the temperature was under there. I didn't know because to me it didn't matter....the chicks were happy and doing exactly what they should have been doing so numbers weren't important. But I got curious, so I checked. On the floor of the cave in a 69 degree room, the cave was 82.9, and the chicks loved it. With MHP you aren't trying to heat the space under the cave - you are warming the chicks by letting their little backs get as close to the pad as possible.

I can't wait to see your chicks! You know that your membership cost for the Broody Brigade is photos of your chicks, right?

 

[Serenashome]

I didn't have a light in with mine. IMHO no light helps them learn day/night schedule. If they are in a garage or someplace without good lighting, it might be good to have some during the day to help them learn the day/night routine.

We used puppy training pads rather than newspaper on the floor. worked great! Gave the chicks really good footing, the bottom is plastic and you can just roll them up and toss them and all the poo at the same time for easy clean up. The chicks didn't try to eat it as we had pine shavings on top.

 

[TerryH]

I didn't have a light in with mine. IMHO no light helps them learn day/night schedule. If they are in a garage or someplace without good lighting, it might be good to have some during the day to help them learn the day/night routine.

Agree completely. One of the great advantages of the MHP is that they learn day/night cycles right from the start.

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
Yep, that is the best plan! My understanding is that weasel attacks are usually at night when the birds are up on the roost (so yeah, they climb just fine

). I added 1/2" hardware cloth to the dirt floor of the coop under the HEAVY rubber horse mats that were already in the converted stall after seeing an ermine in the yard around 4 in the afternoon when the 2012 chicks were 5 months old.

Thank you!
I actually was planning on raising them right in the coop. Ours has a ramp going down into the run from the henhouse, but I would block that off with some wire mesh. There would still be airflow through it, but they wouldn't be able to get out when I am not watching them. And as for the Mama Heating Pad, I am thinking about cutting one of those tomato cages and bending it to how I want-like shown in your pictures. But I don't pick my chicks up until the 23rd of this month, so I have some time to think about it

Other than that, does anyone have any suggestions for keeping chicks? They will be a day old when I get them.


Thanks again!

Why block off the ramp? The chicks will venture out when they feel ready, not before. If there is a big drop from the floor of the coop to the ground, you could put a bit of "railing" along the edges at the upper end so they can't fall or get pushed off (chickens aren't real good with "No, I insist, YOU first"). My first chickens were brooded with a heat lamp (pre MHP days!!) in a bathtub. By 2 weeks they were getting out of the tub but couldn't get back in. They can fly up 2' by 2 weeks.

Raise the chick food and waterers above the level of the shavings on the floor so they won't get filled. With or without a mama to show them how, they will scratch through the shavings looking for food at a VERY young age and they can kick it pretty far. I made a raised platform from a piece of wood, cutting round holes of the appropriate size for the bases to sit in and screwed in little blocks to raise it up. It was big enough that the chicks could get up on it to eat and drink from day one and in a week they could choose to stand on it or reach in from the side.

Watch the chicks to see if the pad is the right temp. If they won't go in (after you show them that is where the heat is) it is probably too hot, if they won't come out, it is probably too cool. If they come and go, it is just right.

hopefully today we will have our chicks, or tomorrow hoping for today, I have my brooding area set up with my MHP in place. it is 60 deg. F in the coop this morning but under the MHP on a #6 it was 110 deg so I know it is heating fine with the cooler temps.

When using the MHP do you leave a light on for the chicks all night?

110 is too hot even right at the pad. Certainly WAY too hot if that is air temperature in the cave, turn it down.

NO to 24 hour lights! That is just one of the benefits of MHP over heat lamps, NATURAL day/night cycles. If you leave a light on they will be up at all hours eating and peeping. It is like a (not) sleep over party for your kids. You can't avoid that with a heat lamp but you can with MHP.

 

[woods79]

Looks like a nice, spacious spot for them. Might I suggest that you take the newspaper out? It doesn't make good footing for chicks and can lead to all kinds of foot and leg issues in the chicks. You can leave the paper in if you want to help make cleaning a little easier, but cover it with pine shavings or some such. Lots of people worry about them eating the pine shavings, and granted some of them do peck at it and try it. But if you get the large flake shavings (not cedar) they really can ingest enough to do any damage. I use it all the time, and if I'm brooding in the house for a couple of days I'll toss some paper toweling over the shavings for a day or so until I know they are eating out of their feeder.

110 degrees sounds pretty warm, especially with coop temps in the 60s. Mine are out in the run, temps still in the 40s, and they are on 2 now. I started them out there on 4 or 5 when temps were still in the twenties. Did you measure the temp on the floor under MHP or rig it to the underside of the pad directly? When mine were just a few days old and this thread was new, my friend @azygous asked me what the temperature was under there. I didn't know because to me it didn't matter....the chicks were happy and doing exactly what they should have been doing so numbers weren't important. But I got curious, so I checked. On the floor of the cave in a 69 degree room, the cave was 82.9, and the chicks loved it. With MHP you aren't trying to heat the space under the cave - you are warming the chicks by letting their little backs get as close to the pad as possible.

I can't wait to see your chicks! You know that your membership cost for the Broody Brigade is photos of your chicks, right?

Thanks just after I posted I got a call the chicks were in

the temp was taken at 3.5 inch off the floor, I did turn it down to a 5. I was only doing the paper till I knew they were set with finding their food going to have the kids help with the shavings after they get home from school. Thanks to everyone on the info on the lights, They have lots of natural light in the coop so that is a big help.