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

[dpenning]

"The more I watch those babies outside perfectly happy, the more I think we backyard chicken folks have been sold a bill of goods with the whole "needs a heat lamp" and "95 degrees for the first week" thing. Because no. And not true. "


This is one of the things I can really get heated up about, pardon the pun. And most people readily and eagerly accept the heat guide as scripture. Just watch day-olds romping around an outdoor pen on a 60F day, not spending much time near the heat source. People have a need to follow specific directions because they doubt their own powers of observation and ability to make judgement calls when this would be the better approach to judging the heat requirements of their chicks in their own individual situation.

I live in North Texas, ordered 10 chicks, have a shed as a coop with windows open and have had chicks with no heat. They have been healthy and happy since Friday.

 

[Ainee]

When chicks stop using their heating pad cave depends a lot on the ambient temps. Sometimes in warmer climes, people have seen their chicks discard the cave and just sleep on top of it at around three weeks. This was the case with my last batch last summer.

I'd say, on average, chicks are pretty much finished with the cave around four weeks, but if the nights are cool, may still use it at night for a spell.

Sounds good, thank you!

 

[FlyWheel]

Love this idea! I just made one myself. Thanks!

Thank you (why not put a 'like' on the post?). They seem to like it too, in fact they seem to be spending most of their time under it, But then right now they are just one week old. One thing that isn't shown in those pics is that in the box along with the chicks was a cheap bulb type thermometer, so I taped it to the side of the brooder with the bulb between the bin wall and the section of pad seen sticking up on the right edge of the MHP. This lets me measure the temp of the pad itself. At setting 3 it holds at between 90-95 F.

<Snip!>


Haven't noticed any need for "calming" chicks. Not the broody raised ones and I don't think anyone using the MHP have seen a need. Since they are in your garage without much natural light, I would be tempted to have a normal "daylight spectrum" light in there running on the timer instead of the red LED. I would have it turn on maybe a half hour after sunrise and off a half hour before sunset. That way it won't go immediately light and dark and they will have a more natural "sunrise/sunset" experience.

<Snip!>

What Bee said

I made a little set of "bleachers" for my broody raised chicks last year. Put it in the brooder area since they were perching on other things out in the run. I don't know that they EVER used it. And I had put a little roost bar in the bathtub with the 2012 chicks (pre MHP days). Same thing. They would stand on it, but they never tried to sleep on it. Mostly I think they used it as a launching pad to get up on the edge of the tub. They figured out roosting when they went out to the coop at 4 weeks.

To tell you the truth, I am just going by what I have read here regarding the red vs. white light. Unfortunately, I cannot set the garage lights to turn on and off on a timer. The sun is still setting after 7 here though, and the garage window faces west. so they do get somewhat of a dimming in the evening, at least.

As for the roost, like you say, it could just be a "Bleacher" so the can get used to the idea. A warm as it's been this summer they will be going outside as soon as they are feathered.

 

[bruceha2000]

"The more I watch those babies outside perfectly happy, the more I think we backyard chicken folks have been sold a bill of goods with the whole "needs a heat lamp" and "95 degrees for the first week" thing. Because no. And not true. "


This is one of the things I can really get heated up about, pardon the pun. And most people readily and eagerly accept the heat guide as scripture. Just watch day-olds romping around an outdoor pen on a 60F day, not spending much time near the heat source. People have a need to follow specific directions because they doubt their own powers of observation and ability to make judgement calls when this would be the better approach to judging the heat requirements of their chicks in their own individual situation.

Not surprising really. Most people get their chicks from a big hatchery (and that includes the feed stores) and they all have the same "required temperature" information. So if these are your first chicks you surely don't want them to die and you follow the "temperature scripture". If you've had chicks before, there was a first time and you will do the same thing as you did before because you don't want them to die.

If you have never had a broody raise chicks you don't know that chicks just a few days old spend MOST of their time AWAY from the heat source except at night. You don't know that they don't spend most of their time cheeping away. Why would you question the "experts" that sold you the chicks?

 

[bruceha2000]

To tell you the truth, I am just going by what I have read here regarding the red vs. white light. Unfortunately, I cannot set the garage lights to turn on and off on a timer. The sun is still setting after 7 here though, and the garage window faces west. so they do get somewhat of a dimming in the evening, at least.

As for the roost, like you say, it could just be a "Bleacher" so the can get used to the idea. A warm as it's been this summer they will be going outside as soon as they are feathered.

It can just be a table lamp, doesn't have to be anything permanent, just as your red light is not permanent (I ASSUME!)

Like I said, mine didn't bother with the bleachers. They are collecting dust in the barn. Don't know if I can figure out a use for them. I won't likely put them in the brooder area the next time I get chicks. Of course mine had whatever area of the barn alley (the chickens' indoor run and full of 'junk') their surrogate mama showed them to explore so if yours don't have any "natural" jungle gym to play on they might use "bleachers".

 

[aart]

Providing white light during the day if brooding area is dim is a good idea, exposing them to slowly lowering light as natural sunset is good too.
Providing a roost, bleachers, or anything to climb on in the brooder is good for their amusement/'enrichment'...even tho it won't really 'teach' them to 'roost'.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Not surprising really. Most people get their chicks from a big hatchery (and that includes the feed stores) and they all have the same "required temperature" information. So if these are your first chicks you surely don't want them to die and you follow the "temperature scripture". If you've had chicks before, there was a first time and you will do the same thing as you did before because you don't want them to die.

If you have never had a broody raise chicks you don't know that chicks just a few days old spend MOST of their time AWAY from the heat source except at night. You don't know that they don't spend most of their time cheeping away. Why would you question the "experts" that sold you the chicks?

Agreed.
My partner and I were discussing this last night and we figured it also has to do with Big Ag. Not in a nefarious way, but.... when you've got twenty chicks they don't have enough combined mass to crush each other to death when they're cold. When you have 500? That's a different story. THEY need the heat lamps. We don't.

 

[junebuggena]

Agreed.
My partner and I were discussing this last night and we figured it also has to do with Big Ag. Not in a nefarious way, but.... when you've got twenty chicks they don't have enough combined mass to crush each other to death when they're cold. When you have 500? That's a different story. THEY need the heat lamps. We don't.

You also need to remember that they are brooding in large barn-type structures, so there is plenty of space for that heat to disperse without cooking the chicks.

 

[FlyWheel]

It can just be a table lamp, doesn't have to be anything permanent, just as your red light is not permanent (I ASSUME!)

Like I said, mine didn't bother with the bleachers. They are collecting dust in the barn. Don't know if I can figure out a use for them. I won't likely put them in the brooder area the next time I get chicks. Of course mine had whatever area of the barn alley (the chickens' indoor run and full of 'junk') their surrogate mama showed them to explore so if yours don't have any "natural" jungle gym to play on they might use "bleachers".

Oh the light is far from permanent! It's an inexpensive clip-on' lamp I got at the local Wally-World (least expensive lamp there, actually)

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
Yep. And I suspect that in places where they get hundreds, thousands of chicks at a time (*) they aren't using a heat lamp brooder as we small fry would think of it. They likely use huddle boxes. Basically a big MHP or EcoGlow type thing except they are using light bulbs for heat in that space.

And like MHP, they go in and out as they please to warm up. They aren't in a "95F the first week" red lighted ambient space 24x7. Sadly, when I Googled "Huddle box for chickens" I came across a LOT of home red heat lamp brooders and some software.

Think of it like a large wooden box, suspended from the ceiling with an open space all around at the bottom.

* My wife is a PO clerk, there is a meat chicken farm up the road, they get 1,000 chicks in a single shipment.