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

[cjpeeps]

​The box is a wardrobe box I got from U haul. I got the braces with it.  They are supposed to hold clothes LOL.  I put it on it's side and cut the top off.  I taped the ends down so they would not come apart. It's kinda big for the four chicks, but  these were a surprise. I went to a friend's house and her neighbor has chickens- she lets them run all over the neighborhood.  They lay eggs inmy friend's garage and she gathered up the eggs from the day I visited and gave them to me- I incubated them and presto- cuteness.  I made the box for my set of day old chicks coming at the end of April.  now the thing has been broken in and works well.  Yay. I am all ready.

I thought I recognized it! What a brilliant idea! And what a fun way to find your flock!

 

[cjpeeps]

Oh my gosh this makes me laugh! I can totally relate momma chicken!

 

[Nathan J]

There are lots of variables.....
Brooder config, MHP config including height, pad brand and model, ambient temps, number and age of chicks......
That's why you go by your chicks behaviors in adjusting temp setting and height.

Yep, that's the bottom line. My error was in not responding quickly enough and trying lower temps when I wasn't getting the desired result. I was too stuck on the idea that it was so cold in the garage and that surely it needed to be on high, or at least medium. Lesson learned.

They're now running in and out, and starting to hop on top a bit, and intermittently it goes all quiet as they all nap under MHP. All is well!

 

[mommakatx2]

Here's my adjustable electric hen project...

I gathered different ideas from this thread and thread and this is my first attempt. My goal was to try a hot plate technique, like the ones commercially available.

I used threaded rods I found at the hardware store for legs. Those were the shortest ones the had. I bought loose washers and nuts. Unfortunately my Wal-Mart was out of hearing pads except for 9x9 ones...so I had to use those. When I make another one I'll be sure to get one larger pad. For the base I used a cookie rack from Wal-Mart and I also bought clips to help hold it in place.

1. My materials (haha who else has hatching eggs on their kitchen counter waiting for space in the bator?)

2. First I placed the heating pads on the cookie rack and then wrapped the whole thing securely with saran wrap. I took the covers off the heating pads. I secured the pads with the clipsfor safety.

3. Using these rods, washers, and nuts I made adjustable legs. In hindsight I should have used another washer on the topside.

4. Finished product

I haven't tested it yet because then I had to go to work, but I'll put it the brooder tomorrow and see how they respond. I hate using lights in my brooder, the babies seem stressed all the time.

Project cost breakdown:

heating pads $9.95 ea
Cookie rack $2.97
hardware $9.00
Clips $2.97

So roughly $35 for a 9x18 height adjustable electric hen. Hope it works!!

 

[Blooie]

Nathan, persistence paid off!! Yayyy!

Mommakatx2, I'll be watching how it goes, and after your work I hate to be a doubting Thomas. Your framing seems to beworking out the way you'd planned. But I don't know that taking the covers off the pads and covering them with Saran Wrap is something that I'd do. Not long ago someone here used plastic wrap and the chicks just shredded it. And I have a little trouble with the idea that without that protectve cover, and with the plastic being in that kind of direct contact with the innards of the heating pad, it seems a little risky safety wise. The chicks don't need the pads to be hot-hot.....they just need to contact the underside of the heating pad just as they would with mom. Keep us posted.....I'd love to be wrong. Time after time folks on this thread have made that happen!

 

[mommakatx2]

Nathan, persistence paid off!! Yayyy!

Mommakatx2, I'll be watching how it goes, and after your work I hate to be a doubting Thomas. Your framing seems to beworking out the way you'd planned. But I don't know that taking the covers off the pads and covering them with Saran Wrap is something that I'd do. Not long ago someone here used plastic wrap and the chicks just shredded it. And I have a little trouble with the idea that without that protectve cover, and with the plastic being in that kind of direct contact with the innards of the heating pad, it seems a little risky safety wise. The chicks don't need the pads to be hot-hot.....they just need to contact the underside of the heating pad just as they would with mom. Keep us posted.....I'd love to be wrong. Time after time folks on this thread have made that happen!

It's very easily modified....since I haven't even put it in the brooder yet it's not set in stone! I only used the saran wrap to hold the pads to the rack, but i think i can achieve the same with the clips. I dont want th babies shredding plastic that's for sure!!!

 

[ShannonO]

Well those pictures could certainly help a lot with what I'm about to ask but I'm going to ask anyway. Would anyone be kind enough to do a concise recap of the various materials/methods uses for covering the heating pad? I most definitely want to use the Glad press n seal to cover the pad so that it is liquid-proof (it has a fuzzy cover over the actual plastic heating pad). I still haven't decided on whether I'm going to attach the pad to the top or bottom of the wire but either way, has anyone found a method where it's not necessary to use towels or pillow-cases? I would like to avoid having chicken waste-soiled cloths having to go through the washing machine if at all possible. I thought of just using paper towels but I'm afraid they will slip off of the MHP, especially if the pad is on top with a layer of press n seal, because it will be slippery.

Has anyone used hay alone without any towels or cloths? And can hay be used when the chicks are very young?

Also, maybe the press-n-seal is no longer recommended? Has anyone had any issues with it? I did see someone in an earlier post mention that it was just plastic wrap and not sure if anyone has pointed it out since then but it isn't just regular cling wrap, it sticks to itself and therefore, I think would make a great liquid barrier...

My chicks are three days old so take this for what it is worth. I wrapped the pad in press n seal (pns), then wrapped a hand towel in press and seal on top of the pad. I then added a layer of reverse pns to the towel+pad combo to encourage the bedding to stick, but the chick down stuck to that so I took it off!

My final solution (so far) is:
Layer of straw or shavings (they scratch it all off)
Wrap of pns
Layer of towel
Wrap of pns
Heating pad
Wire cave

 

[Giggles73]

So I got my chicks today from IFA! They are about 3 or 4 weeks old, I thought that might be easier for me since I work full time. I have the next 4 days off to tend to them. Any suggestions on handling them? As you can see I am using the MHP and 2 are in and 2 are out.

[/IMG][/IMG]

 

[junebuggena]

So I got my chicks today from IFA! They are about 3 or 4 weeks old, I thought that might be easier for me since I work full time. I have the next 4 days off to tend to them. Any suggestions on handling them? As you can see I am using the MHP and 2 are in and 2 are out.[/IMG][/IMG]

They are pretty much feathered in. If they are inside, they probably don't need any heat at all.

 

[Giggles73]

They are pretty much feathered in. If they are inside, they probably don't need any heat at all. 

They are inside, they are quite feathered but have some fluff in spots.