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

[BacktoBasics13]

So our first ever chicks are coming in 4 days! 8 to be exact. The past few weeks have been spent converting an old bathroom vanity into a brooder. Now on to the MHp.... for day old chicks how low should it be? I know it should touch their backs but dont have the best estimate on how tall that is. I' m using a kitchen cabinet helper shelf fitted with pieces of wood under it with the heating pad. Currently when all is said and done I have about 2 1/2 inches between the underside of the heating pad and the floor.

 

[aart]

So our first ever chicks are coming in 4 days! 8 to be exact. The past few weeks have been spent converting an old bathroom vanity into a brooder. Now on to the MHp.... for day old chicks how low should it be? I know it should touch their backs but dont have the best estimate on how tall that is. I' m using a kitchen cabinet helper shelf fitted with pieces of wood under it with the heating pad.
Currently when all is said and done I have about 2 1/2 inches between the underside of the heating pad and the floor.

That's good place to start.....do you have a plan for how you're going to raise it in about 1/2" to 3/4" increments as they grow.

 

[BacktoBasics13]

That's good place to start.....do you have a plan for how you're going to raise it in about 1/2" to 3/4" increments as they grow.

Yes, we will start removing some of the wood under the shelf between the heating pad we up to 5" under there. If they outgrow that before going into the coop I can start placing the unit itself on blocks of wood to raise the height.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

Any word on your chicks today?

My EEs made it all alive. My box with 7 Bantam ducks and 11 chicks didnt. Its missing. Last time it was checked in was Wed morning at 530 in Texas. No word since. Hoping like crazy it turns up tomorrow. My new brooder set up is amazing. The chicks are so much happier then under heat lamp. I'm honestly amazed.

 

[wamtazlady]

(crosses fingers that your ducks and chicks make it okay) The chicks we got on Tuesday looked great and are lively. Two of them didn't make it through the night. I always figure on losing 10% when I get them through the mail.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

(crosses fingers that your ducks and chicks make it okay)  The chicks we got on Tuesday looked great and are lively.  Two of them didn't make it through the night.  I always figure on losing 10% when I get them through the mail. 

There's one a little iffy. We'll see what happens. Just hoping I don't loose all of the otber one. I desperately want the East Indie ducks that are coming.

 

[Merrymouse]

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

My coop is very similar to yours and I had the same issue with screws coming through all over the place. They are a pain in the butt, or the head if you smack your head into them

So I have a thread with all my coop building drama that you can looks through and one of the biggest issues were the screws sticking out. I ended up trying a million things and have lots of suggestions from folks on that thread. What I ended up doing is using a dremmel with a metal cutting blade to cut them then used a grinding wheel on my drill to grind them smooth. I only did this method on the low end of my coop. its not easy and wear safety glasses because of the sparks an potential for metal shavings flying everywhere. On the high part of my coop we just stuck pieces of wood or used corks over the screws so if we bump our head or something the screws wont do too much damage.

And you definitely need more ventilation. My soffits are open all the way around and I have two big windows. Your coop looks awesome and good luck. Hope this was helpful.

 

[Merrymouse]

There's one a little iffy. We'll see what happens. Just hoping I don't loose all of the otber one. I desperately want the East Indie ducks that are coming.

Hopefully they arrive soon and in good shape

 

[yoopergirl1211]

 Hopefully they arrive soon and in good shape

Thank you. Still nothing on the tracking. Its normal for them to spend a lot of time under HP after shipping I'm guessing?

 

[aart]

Quote: Yep, shipping is hard work....did they all drink, check for pasty butts??