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

[Blooie]

It just dawned on me....I HAVE read all 830 pages....every post! No wonder I have laundry stacked up!

To get the most from MHP, the best advice I can give is not to overthink it. The page that has been referred to here is the best illustration of how simple this entire concept can be.

 

[casportpony]

All pictures and the dates they were posted can be seen here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/lightbox/

 

[aart]

It just dawned on me....I HAVE read all 830 pages....every post! No wonder I have laundry stacked up!

Heck you wrote on most of them!
I've read them all too, but slowly probably some each day..or most pages most days.

Problem with the long never ending threads is it's hard for newcomers to gain the knowledge needed now, due to all the chatter and the repeats of knowledge due to the length of thread which just keeps getting longerandlongerandlonger...haha!

 

[junebuggena]

But there are some really good info buried in all that chatter. Not just the heating pad info, but topics on this thread have ranged from feeding, to watering systems and a whole lot more.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Here's my MPH set-up last year in April:
I later modified it, so will have to post photos of that when I find them!

Is that the pelleted horse stall bedding?

 

[myfivegirls]

Quote:
Basically, but I just buy one ton of wood pellets & use them for chick's bedding. Seems to work great & is absorbent.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Basically, but I just buy one ton of wood pellets & use them for chick's bedding. Seems to work great & is absorbent.

I never thought to use wood pellets. I use a similar product made of pine pellets in my cat's litter box and they work so much better than regular litter both in absorbency and odor control. I've been afraid to use them in the coop but it seems like they would be perfect for chicks since they are too big for them to try to eat.

BTW how many chicks do you have in there?

 

[myfivegirls]

Quote:
Yes, I work at our local animal shelter & we use wood pellets for some of the cat litter boxes. That's where I got the idea.
Sometimes once they expand into sawdust, they'll try to eat it. But usually by then they've learned where the food is.

Those chicks were from April 2016, and I can't remember how many I had in that batch. I used the two small Sunbeam heating pads, but I generally I hatched out batches of 20-40 chicks.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yes, I work at our local animal shelter & we use wood pellets for some of the cat litter boxes. That's where I got the idea.
Sometimes once they expand into sawdust, they'll try to eat it. But usually by then they've learned where the food is.

Those chicks were from April 2016, and I can't remember how many I had in that batch. I used the two small Sunbeam heating pads, but I generally I hatched out batches of 20-40 chicks.

Okay, good to know. I have about 40 coming and I have two pads and I'm just trying to make sure I'll have enough heat for all of them, at least until I sell some.

One last question, when do you start using the pellets? Day two or so? Do any seem to have trouble walking on them?

 

[WVduckchick]

Yes, I work at our local animal shelter & we use wood pellets for some of the cat litter boxes. That's where I got the idea.
Sometimes once they expand into sawdust, they'll try to eat it. But usually by then they've learned where the food is.

Those chicks were from April 2016, and I can't remember how many I had in that batch. I used the two small Sunbeam heating pads, but I generally I hatched out batches of 20-40 chicks.

Is the beautiful chick in the last picture a cochin? Bantam? Do you happen to have any grown-up pics of it? (I just hatched some very similar looking ones)