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

[debid]

Our "soil" is boulders with dirt between them and we had to just pile rocks on the skirt wherever we couldn't dig. It was interesting. I noticed two dig attempts this year on the outside so I'm glad we did it even though it was a huge hassle at the time. And, of course, the chickens dig on the inside so there would be gaps for critters if we hadn't. The rock pile at one corner has resulted in habitat for lizards and centipedes (aka chicken treats) so it's all good.

 

[debid]

What is an acceptable temperature under there? Does it have to be up to the "95" degrees? I don't have the chicks yet or have any flakes on the floor & it's reading about 80 degrees. Just was wondering. I've never used this method before but am super excited to see how they like it

The pad on high should have a surface temp of 105-110 according to Sunbeam. A hen is 105-107. So, the idea is that they warm by direct contact like they would with a hen. As long as you slope the surface so they can touch it with their back while lying down, they'll be cozy.

 

[Blooie]

What is an acceptable temperature under there? Does it have to be up to the "95" degrees? I don't have the chicks yet or have any flakes on the floor & it's reading about 80 degrees. Just was wondering. I've never used this method before but am super excited to see how they like it

Nope, no 95 degrees! In the very beginning, @azygous asked me what the temperature was under the cave. Shoot, I didn't know. All I knew was that I had 11 chicks that were healthy, happy, sleeping all night through, and doing better than my heat lamp raised chicks had done. But out of curiousity - and because it was a perfectly sensible question - I put a wireless thermometer transmitter under the cave. Whoa.....it was 82.5 under there in a 69 degree room! My chicks should have been dead days and days ago!!! Yet here they were, contented as could be.

MHP doesn't heat the space- it heats just the chicks, right at back level. I think that's the hardest part of the entire concept for people to fathom. Lots of modifications have been done, but the ones that alarm me are those where the pad is up on some high arched thing like half a tub or a basket or something like that. The higher the pad is, the further away from the chicks it is...and the more likely that person will give up on the whole plan.

 

[debid]

I used to brood with a heat lamp and didn't use a thermometer then, either so that part didn't bother me. But I think understanding that this is supposed to be a hen's underside and the chicks need to effectively be sat on made a difference in my perception. The panel heaters tend to be more like heat lamps and that confuses people, maybe?

 

[junebuggena]

@Molpet Its 3x4 so 12 sq ft. So that should hold 16 chicks for a week or two correct? I'm hoping the weather clears a little as we only have a few more details to finish the coop and the plan is to get them in the coop asap.

I will make the cardboard higher.

I was afraid to just use the bungees on the outside of the pillow case because the pad was shifting around. Its ok that I used two right? Thanks for your input

You have to remember to subtract the amount of space that the pad, feeder, and water takes up. At 4 weeks old, they need about 2 sq ft per chick. By 6 weeks, they are up to needing about 8 sq ft as they begin to sort out their pecking order.

 

[jennyf]

FWIW, to save anyone else the trouble, this pad DOES have an auto shut off (even tho description says it does NOT). That means it shuts off after 2 hours. And Amazon seems to be claiming it is not returnable, although I'm arguing that... https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FGDDI0/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Blooie]

FWIW, to save anyone else the trouble, this pad DOES have an auto shut off (even tho description says it does NOT). That means it shuts off after 2 hours. And Amazon seems to be claiming it is not returnable, although I'm arguing that... https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FGDDI0/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I followed the link you provided and boy, is it confusing! The description says nothing about being able to keep it on past 2 hours, but a couple of the reviews and one of the Q&A responses says it does stay on all night......this has been an ongoing issue with Sunbeam listings. We have one member, @henless who found a pad that not only stays on, but can turn itself back on after a power outage, and set it back to the last temperature dialed in! But she cautioned in her post that the reviews on the listing weren't even for that pad! Talk about confusing!!

Thanks for giving us the heads up on this! While I have the link to the pad I use (and it's still an active listing) the last pad I found was actually at Walgreens, and it clearly states on the box that it has a "Stay on" feature. I found the small one that I use at Walmart. Hope that's helpful.

 

[debid]

FWIW, to save anyone else the trouble, this pad DOES have an auto shut off (even tho description says it does NOT). That means it shuts off after 2 hours. And Amazon seems to be claiming it is not returnable, although I'm arguing that... https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FGDDI0/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

According to Sunbeam, the model you ordered doesn't have auto-off. However, apparently Amazon is lumping similar models into one category and covering their backside by mentioning in the description that the product may vary. You can order directly from Sunbeam and that would be my suggestion if you want a slide switch and no auto-off.

FYI, I bought mine from Amazon and got the correct model so I know they have some but I suspect it's hit & miss.

 

[pioneerchick816]

@Blooie
Thank you so much! I may need to make it a little lower so they can snuggle it, but I'm getting closer

I figured the actual 95 would be a little much for this way of keeping them warm. Looking forward to April 1st

 

[pioneerchick816]

I just got my XL Sunbeam heating pad from Amazon(the one that was suggested here) & it came with the stay on feature. I guess it's hard to know for sure until you get it unless you can go by exact model numbers. I've had Amazon "substitute" on me like that for other items

frustrating...