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

[chixmaidservice]

I used a heating pad in the brooder for the first time this spring, loved it! Started w the pad over a half round basket that was originally for guinea pigs/ rabbits. When they outgrew that @ 3-4 weeks, I set the xl heating pad over a milk crate and rigged a low perch inside the crate. Mostly they flew up and nestled down on top of the crate and heating pad in a chick pile, but occasionally they used the perch.

 

[ShannonO]

 Most likely.  Mine are totally off all heat and integrated with the flock by 4 weeks old, and we are still getting into the teens and twenties some nights.  We even take down the brooder at that age.

Is your Coop 100% closed off from wind? Mine is not and I am flummoxed as to whether to put them out this weekend. It seems like it should be simple and if not that I should easily find my answer in the many informative posts and threads here. But alas I still can't decide what is a good idea for my specific flock, location, and setup.

I tend to over-think such things!

Thanks for your reply and patience!

 

[BYC60586]

Hello,
Im a first timer with chicks and have a question if my chicks behavior is normal. Her is my setup. I have 6 chicks they are 5 days old and I have had them for 2 of those days. I have my brooder in the basement and ambient temp is about 65 degrees. I have the MHP setup with the towel draping down the front to form a cave. Since this is the basement the lights are not always on so I have a LED bulb in a reflector lamp that is controlled by a timer, lights on at 430 am lights off at 8e0 pm. Everything is working fine they go around the brooder doing there chicken things in and out of the MHP for naps through out the day. The problem is when it is time to wame up they dont seem to want to come out of the MHP. The light comes on and they dont come out. This morning I shagged them out of the cave at 5am and when they came out they went to town on food and water and there behavior has been normal zince then.

Is there something wrong with the setup?
Do I have chicks that love to sleep in?
Or is this normal and Im worrying about nothing?

Thanks in advancd.

 

[debid]

So, they go from zero to bright in the morning and bright to zero in the evening? Or do you have a small night light? I'd be concerned that they aren't able to anticipate approaching darkness. Is putting them near a window possible at all? Or out in their coop?

 

[dpenning]

Hello,
Im a first timer with chicks and have a question if my chicks behavior is normal. Her is my setup. I have 6 chicks they are 5 days old and I have had them for 2 of those days. I have my brooder in the basement and ambient temp is about 65 degrees. I have the MHP setup with the towel draping down the front to form a cave. Since this is the basement the lights are not always on so I have a LED bulb in a reflector lamp that is controlled by a timer, lights on at 430 am lights off at 8e0 pm. Everything is working fine they go around the brooder doing there chicken things in and out of the MHP for naps through out the day. The problem is when it is time to wame up they dont seem to want to come out of the MHP. The light comes on and they dont come out. This morning I shagged them out of the cave at 5am and when they came out they went to town on food and water and there behavior has been normal zince then.

Is there something wrong with the setup?
Do I have chicks that love to sleep in?
Or is this normal and Im worrying about nothing?

Thanks in advancd.

I'm guessing B. 4:30 am is early! I'd let them follow their normal body clocks if they are acting normally in everything else.

 

[BYC60586]

Debid,
Thanks for the reply.

Currently natural ligbt is not an option (moving them outside to my shed next week then they will have natural light). Light is going from 0 to 100 fhen 100 to 0 currently. Should I use a dimmer to mimick natural light cycle?

 

[debid]

Debid,
Thanks for the reply.

Currently natural ligbt is not an option (moving them outside to my shed next week then they will have natural light). Light is going from 0 to 100 fhen 100 to 0 currently. Should I use a dimmer to mimick natural light cycle?

I would. They really don't see well in the dark at all.

 

[DonnaFreak]

Howdy y'all!

Its getting down to the wire! My chicks will be here in less than two weeks!! I'm planning to set up the MHP in the coop right from the start, but i have a couple of questions first. As y'all can see from my avitar, i can walk into the run, but not into the coop itself. I had planned to put them into a wire dog crate I have, but since these will be my first chickens ever, I'm wondering if the dog crate is even necessary. On the pro side, just giving them the run of the entire coop area will give them more room. On the con side, if one of them got into any sort of trouble at the back of the coop, I'd have to use a stepladder to climb into the coop to get to them, as opposed to just sliding the crate to where they are within my reach. As far as the crate goes, the pros are that in addition to them all being within easy reach, it has a tray that slides out for easy cleaning. I could also briefly set the crate on the ground while the tray is out to be cleaned, letting them feel the grass between their toes! Con side: less room for the chicks to run around. Here is a pic of the inside of the coop. Yes, I still need to scrub it down and cut the linoleum to size. Also, ignore the wet section of board at the back because a new roof is being put on right now, so that shouldn't happen again.

So if I DO just use the coop itself, should I close off the nest boxes? And what about the door leading to the run? At what point do I give them access to go out during the day?

Even though my coop is extremely well built, I have a couple of concerns. For one thing, the roofing nails are sticking through the plywood on the inside of the ceiling of the coop and run and as you can see in the pic, the screws holding the door hinges on are sticking out even further! What can I do to cover these sharp points to keep my girls from getting hurt? Also, my coop has absolutely NO ventilation! Since the roosting bars will be above the nest boxes, the only place I can think of to put ventilation where it will be above their combs when they grow up is in the very front corner of the coop. I have a hole saw that will cut a 3" hole, so will putting two holes in each front corner of the coop be sufficient? If so, should I wait until the chicks are fully feathered out before I cut the holes, or should I do it right away? I'd sure love some opinions. Y'all are the best!

Donna

 

[csneill]

Ones stuck not sure where the other one is

Any word on your chicks today?

 

[Molpet]

Howdy y'all!

Its getting down to the wire! My chicks will be here in less than two weeks!! I'm planning to set up the MHP in the coop right from the start, but i have a couple of questions first. As y'all can see from my avitar, i can walk into the run, but not into the coop itself. I had planned to put them into a wire dog crate I have, but since these will be my first chickens ever, I'm wondering if the dog crate is even necessary. On the pro side, just giving them the run of the entire coop area will give them more room. On the con side, if one of them got into any sort of trouble at the back of the coop, I'd have to use a stepladder to climb into the coop to get to them, as opposed to just sliding the crate to where they are within my reach. As far as the crate goes, the pros are that in addition to them all being within easy reach, it has a tray that slides out for easy cleaning. I could also briefly set the crate on the ground while the tray is out to be cleaned, letting them feel the grass between their toes! Con side: less room for the chicks to run around. Here is a pic of the inside of the coop. Yes, I still need to scrub it down and cut the linoleum to size. Also, ignore the wet section of board at the back because a new roof is being put on right now, so that shouldn't happen again.




So if I DO just use the coop itself, should I close off the nest boxes? And what about the door leading to the run? At what point do I give them access to go out during the day?

Even though my coop is extremely well built, I have a couple of concerns. For one thing, the roofing nails are sticking through the plywood on the inside of the ceiling of the coop and run and as you can see in the pic, the screws holding the door hinges on are sticking out even further! What can I do to cover these sharp points to keep my girls from getting hurt? Also, my coop has absolutely NO ventilation! Since the roosting bars will be above the nest boxes, the only place I can think of to put ventilation where it will be above their combs when they grow up is in the very front corner of the coop. I have a hole saw that will cut a 3" hole, so will putting two holes in each front corner of the coop be sufficient? If so, should I wait until the chicks are fully feathered out before I cut the holes, or should I do it right away? I'd sure love some opinions. Y'all are the best!

Donna

Looks nice...I would start them in the crate and in a week or so let them explore.. you need 1 sqft of ventilation per adult chicken minimum .. when it gets hot you will need more. chickens are more susceptible to heat than cold...put hardware cloth over any holes bigger than 1/2" to keep weasels out, they live in all states
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop