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

[lazy gardener]

I would not use a "grass skirt" IMO too much opportunity for the chicks to break off and ingest the fibers or get tangled in them. Many of us place a towel over the frame that then drapes down over the long edges of the MHP to provide the "skirt" effect.

 

[Birdinhand]

I would not use a "grass skirt" IMO too much opportunity for the chicks to break off and ingest the fibers or get tangled in them. Many of us place a towel over the frame that then drapes down over the long edges of the MHP to provide the "skirt" effect.

thank you, that should do the trick... just got back from the hardware store and am starting to assemble the first one, photos forthcoming! USPS is racing UPS to get the other heating pad here before the chicks arrive, fortunately it appears to be winning!!

 

[aart]

USPS is racing UPS to get the other heating pad here before the chicks arrive

8-0

 

[bobbi-j]

All good points. This season, I brooded 48 LF chicks with 2 XXL Sunbeams. B/C of the lay out of my brooder/coop, I did not find it practical to do the 12 x 48" configuration. So I messed around with making an L shape, but was not happy with the support system I had in place for that. I ended up placing the standard caves beside each other, with about a 4" "walk way" between them. IIRC, I raised the front 12" W section of each pad so that they sloped down at only the back 12" section of each pad, providing them with exit from both 12" front sections, the 4" pathway, and both 24" sides. It worked well, with the chicks seeming to be plenty warm, and using that pathway as yet an other place to stay warm while viewing their world.

Would you have a picture of your setup that you can post? Since most of my flock was wiped out by predators this summer (I'm down to 1 rooster, 3 hens and cockerel) I'm giving some thought to using MHP next spring, and can't quite see it in my mind..

 

[Birdinhand]

is it a bad idea to use bedding to create the height gradient front to back and just leave the heating pad frame level?

 

[Molpet]

is it a bad idea to use bedding to create the height gradient front to back and just leave the heating pad frame level?

works until they scratch it away.. chickens do not like an unlevel surface unless they made it lol

 

[lazy gardener]

Would you have a picture of your setup that you can post? Since most of my flock was wiped out by predators this summer (I'm down to 1 rooster, 3 hens and cockerel) I'm giving some thought to using MHP next spring, and can't quite see it in my mind..

Bobbi, you are talking to the greatest of the great techno idiots. I could not get a pic posted under old format. Any pics I've ever posted on BYC were b/c Hubby coached me through it. And my computer crashes about 10 x/day in spite of hubby's constant fixing. We have a new computer sitting in a box, but have not yet installed it. So... all excuses aside, I don't have any pics. simply set up 2 MHP parallel to each other with about 4" between them. I brood in the 4 x 8 loft section of an 8 x 8 CP coop.

works until they scratch it away.. chickens do not like an unlevel surface unless they made it lol

Yep. You want it level. They're gonna scratch and dig and pile it up into a mountain. You want it sloped, and they will dig and scratch until they level it. Got green stuff? They'll destroy it, and turn it brown in short order. Have a level lawn? They will turn it into a crater strewn mess. Mulched flower beds? That mulch will be distributed over what once was a level lawn.

 

[aart]

is it a bad idea to use bedding to create the height gradient front to back and just leave the heating pad frame level?

It's why I use adjustable legs, otherwise you need a series of blocks or boards or something to raise level of frame and/or 'floor' under pad.

 

[Birdinhand]

It's why I use adjustable legs, otherwise you need a series of blocks or boards or something to raise level of frame and/or 'floor' under pad.

I'm making a very similar version, with bolts, I think it was your article or a thread of yours a while back that gave me the idea.

 

[Birdinhand]

well, I guess I dodged a bullet, the extra heating pad arrived and the chicks won't get here till tomorrow. Below is my best shot at an adjustable height, Meat Bird duty MHP. I made two of these to accommodate 37 chicks and who knows, I may end up needing a third. I decided to use lots of support rods, 8 per, with two layers of hardware cloth for the upper layer for when the chicks graduate to staying top side, the two layers are nit together with zip ties and sandwiched between large washers to help with support. for lateral stability I decided to add a bottom third layer of hardware cloth that will be under the bedding. the structure is pretty solid though I may add cross bracing on the ends at some point if needed. I used flat bungees to hold up the heating pad and press and seal to cover the whole thing for easier cleaning. I will be placing a towel over the top and have it draped down to keep the warmth in, with cuts every few inches so the chicks can enter and leave from all sides. I will be adjusting the angle to go down in the back. I'll post a pic tomorrow of it all in place with the chicks running around. I may add a light since the brooder in the coop is kind of dark, I used to rely on those blasted heat lamps for light, but I'm so glad to be rid of those things, they are just too harsh, interrupt sleep patterns and prone to burning out and fire and not to mention they are expensive to use, they eat electricity. the heating pad runs on a fraction of the electricity. since we try and generate all our own electricity with our solar panels, the added efficiency is very welcome!