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

[jennyf]

Heh, yeah, I saw the conflicting comments in reviews/questions but figured it was reviewers messing up and getting the wrong model, not Sunbeam/Amazon. Next one I'll check out in person..

 

[Merrymouse]

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.

Centipedes???

Those push me right over the edge to crazy town...Don't. Like. Centipedes!

 

[Merrymouse]

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.

Thanks. But they can get on top of the pad as well as under it so that kind of adds floor space right? And my nipple waterers came today so I am going to hang the water on the side and use the nipples. So no waterer to take up space. Also I added a low roosting pole. I plan on having them out in the coop well before 6 weeks. Im hoping to move them out in one or two weeks the latest. Im going to have to just see how the dog crate works out or I'll have to build a brooder. I see plenty of people brooding in rubbermaid bins or cardboard boxes and my dog crate is much bigger. So we'll see, I will keep a close eye on them for any issues that may develop. But as always the weather, the weather, the weather

big giant storm on Tuesday is not helping matters!

 

[Blooie]

Personally I'm not fond of plastic totes for brooding chicks - I prefer something with better ventilation. I know folks use them all the time, but I just can't make me do it!

 

[Merrymouse]

Personally I'm not fond of plastic totes for brooding chicks - I prefer something with better ventilation. I know folks use them all the time, but I just can't make me do it!

I hear ya...my dog crate is nothing if not "airy"

full of holes

 

[junebuggena]

Thanks. But they can get on top of the pad as well as under it so that kind of adds floor space right? And my nipple waterers came today so I am going to hang the water on the side and use the nipples. So no waterer to take up space. Also I added a low roosting pole. I plan on having them out in the coop well before 6 weeks. Im hoping to move them out in one or two weeks the latest. Im going to have to just see how the dog crate works out or I'll have to build a brooder. I see plenty of people brooding in rubbermaid bins or cardboard boxes and my dog crate is much bigger. So we'll see, I will keep a close eye on them for any issues that may develop. But as always the weather, the weather, the weather

big giant storm on Tuesday is not helping matters!

Plastic totes make for terrible brooders.

 

[barred2rock]

Plastic totes make for terrible brooders.

Fine, all of us using plastic totes will just bring them over to your place and let them loose in your house. Buster Douglas!

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Thought we would try a little different brooder than what has been shown on this thread. This is the "Chalet Brooder" and we will have to locate a smaller Sunbeam heating pad so for now we are using a heat lamp.



This is actually part of a kit to raise Mason and Leaf Cutter bees this year. Our fruit trees haven't produced any fruit and one suggestion was that we weren't getting them pollinated. SO, despite having no fruit we are still optimistic that we can raise chickens. TWT, BB

 

[Blooie]

Okay, question time for members, past and present, of the Btoody Brigade. Um, you may wanna sit down for this one!

Have you ever had, or heard of, any chicks "burning their feet off" from standing on MHP? I've been faced with this concern - or should I say "hysteria" - on another site twice now. One was warning people to be careful - she had a friend who tried MHP and her chicks' feet were burned "and fell off". Another man, totally out of the blue, simply issued a warning that chicks' feet could be badly burned from them standing on top of it, ut I got the feeling he was repeating the other woman's post. I answered both as calmly as I could, considering that I was fuming, saying that with all of the hundreds of people using this. AND being so good about letting us know what issues they'd had, no one had ever reported such a thing.

Okay, GO -----

 

[azygous]

This is not even a credible notion, Blooie, it defies common sense.

You have some woman who says she has a "friend" who had her chicks' feet burned on the pad and fall off. First of all, this isn't a first person anecdote. She "may" have heard this story or not, and if she did, she probably misunderstood it because it makes no freaking sense.

Then you have a fellow who is mimicking the original story. There are people who tend to have problems with reality, and we who are firmly anchored in reality must use our common sense and ask, does this have any possibility of having any truth to it at all, and under what circumstances would it make any sense?

My first thought was if baby chicks' feet were burned then wouldn't we be hearing about a recall on heating pads from all the humans who were suffering blisters and burns from them? Heck, I use the MHP every single night (when it's not being used for chick brooding) for my cold feet, and I use the "stay-on" mode because my stupid feet require three hours to get beyond the permafrost stage. I sure haven't had any burns.

No. I. Do. Not. Believe. It. Not for a second.

But I did some googling:

Here's the official specs from sunbeam:

FAQ Question and Answer - Sunbeam

www.sunbeam.com/service-and...and.../heating-pads-help-and-how-to-faq.html
If you use one of our Soft Touch

or HeatSenseTM heating pads, you may choose a temperature from the following settings: Lo: 110°F Medium: 138°F Hi: 160°F Health at Home heating pads are engineered to never exceed 176°F, the temperature limit set by Underwriters Laboratory.



Chicks would need to be standing on the unsheathed pad to get the full effect of 176 F. Wouldn't the little twerps get themselves off the pad if it was starting to give them a hot foot? Besides, our babies aren't on the pad, they're under it, so they aren't getting the full effect. By the time chicks start hanging out on top, we've lowered the setting by then.

But I doubted 176F is hot enough to burn skin, especially enclosed in all the pillow cases and towels we dude our pads up with.


I did some more googling:

Human skin will suffer first degree burns at 118 F. Second degree burns occur at 131 F. At 140 F numbness occurs as pain receptors are destroyed, At 162 F, human tissue is destroyed on contact.

Yikes! Maybe if that woman's chicks were stupid enough to remain standing on a pad that had no cover on it and it was on the highest setting and got up to 176 F, then maybe their feet did fry.

But I still don't believe it happened.