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

[Blooie]

I built my Mama HP Brooder just as the pictures on the earlier posts show. I cut a1x2 ft piece of hardwire and bent the ends to be about 3 inches tall. I put the heating pad on the outside and placed it in a pillowcase. I wrapped a bungie cord around it on both left and right side. I left the middle to dangle down. Guess I need to put another bungie there. Put an old towel on top. I had to cut the towel down though. One little chick kept getting stuck in the towel at the back. They seem to love it.

Oh, your dues are SOOOO paid that you can almost bank them and save 'em for a rainy day....um, IF they were worth real money!

 

[Nathan J]

So I got my chicks in the mail today and they're set up with their MHP in a big cardboard box in my garage. When I put them in there I put them all underneath the MHP and they stayed there and took a nap for a bit. Then a bit later they ventured out to check out the food and water. After a while they started to huddle up by (on!) the food dish and some started to fall asleep, on the far side of the 4 ft box from the MHP. So I took them all and put them under the MHP again.

Once again they got very quiet and napped for a bit. After 4 cycles of this I'm worried that they haven't figured out to go back under the MHP on their own and sleep. It's about 58 deg in the box so it's not that they're nice and toasty without it. And it's getting down into the teens tonight so I'm concerned how this will play out. The garage will hopefully stay in the 30s as I have a couple of space heaters going; we'll see.

Has anybody else had this problem of their chicks not going under the MHP on their own? I was hoping that after a couple of times being put there that they would catch on. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks

 

[ImportTheBest]

Oh my goodness, that is just positively adorable!

 

[Shezadandy]

So I got my chicks in the mail today and they're set up with their MHP in a big cardboard box in my garage. When I put them in there I put them all underneath the MHP and they stayed there and took a nap for a bit. Then a bit later they ventured out to check out the food and water. After a while they started to huddle up by (on!) the food dish and some started to fall asleep, on the far side of the 4 ft box from the MHP. So I took them all and put them under the MHP again.

Once again they got very quiet and napped for a bit. After 4 cycles of this I'm worried that they haven't figured out to go back under the MHP on their own and sleep. It's about 58 deg in the box so it's not that they're nice and toasty without it. And it's getting down into the teens tonight so I'm concerned how this will play out. The garage will hopefully stay in the 30s as I have a couple of space heaters going; we'll see.

Has anybody else had this problem of their chicks not going under the MHP on their own? I was hoping that after a couple of times being put there that they would catch on. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks

Sounds like they're getting lost. It might be the box is too big for them at the moment. Keep in mind they've just had the drama and stress of the USPS and they've got no experience outside of hatching, getting processed and boxed. I would cut their space in half and keep the food and water rather close to the MHP just for a day or two or until- you see them go back underneath on their own, that should be enough for them to get their bearings. Also might consider bringing the box into the house for a day or two so if they do get mixed up at least it's not a fatal mistake. That my $.02.

 

[Nathan J]

Well I decided to just tuck them all under there one more time and turn out their light. I'm hoping that they'll settle down and sleep and won't venture out.

I'll check on them in a while, being very quiet and sneaky.

I'm still interested to hear if anybody else has faced this. Of course it could be buried in almost 900 pages of this thread!

 

[Nathan J]

Quote: Actually it's only maybe a foot and a half (maybe slightly more) from the edge of the MHP to the other side of the box. But maybe you're right. I'll try that.

 

[Shezadandy]

Actually it's only maybe a foot and a half (maybe slightly more) from the edge of the MHP to the other side of the box. But maybe you're right. I'll try that.

Today they've been abducted by aliens, went for a ride on a spaceship and found themselves on a distant planet. =) As long as they've all had a little water and a bite to eat, turning the light off and tucking them in should be good til morning- as long as the light doesn't shine in where they are before you get up (so they don't see a little light and repeat their pile) to check.

The first day or two I use an 18" round tub with the MHP with a very shallow dish for water. Usually I line the whole thing in paper towels or shelf liner (so I can see poops) -- easy to clean and you can scatter their food over the paper towel and it's easy to spot the food to peck at - they can get out of the MHP if they need to cool off and a shallow little dish doesn't eat up much space. I bet by tomorrow they'll have it figured out properly- once you see they've tucked themselves back under without guidance, it should be good.


Maybe someone else will have an idea to add.

First day or two- nothing fancy- they're itty bitty and still figuring out the basics:

 

[junebuggena]

Well I decided to just tuck them all under there one more time and turn out their light. I'm hoping that they'll settle down and sleep and won't venture out.

I'll check on them in a while, being very quiet and sneaky.

I'm still interested to hear if anybody else has faced this. Of course it could be buried in almost 900 pages of this thread!

Sometimes I do end up hatching a bunch of dummies that are always getting "lost" and can't find their way back to the warmth. If they are cold, they will start screaming very loudly. Usually they figure out pretty quick, but some chicks are just bird brains.
Just make sure that the pad is at the right height. If the pad height is fine, try turning down the heat a bit. It could be that it's too warm for them to stay under.

 

[Nathan J]

I went back out there and heard some cheeping so I took a peek. 7 of the little scamps (16 overall) were out and about, not huddled. So I'm hoping that with most of them still under MHP the others will gravitate back there. I'll check again in a bit.

 

[Nathan J]

If the pad height is fine, try turning down the heat a bit. It could be that it's too warm for them to stay under.

Thanks, that could be an issue. I think the height is fine as they went in all right (with a bit of a push ).