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

[bruceha2000]

Thanks! Been a bit of a hiatus but Bruce called me and sort of lit a fire under my hiney.

Hey, I'm a gentleman I didn't get anywhere near your hiney!
Bug in your ear maybe

View attachment 1219556 Anyone have any experience with this heat pad. I bought 2 one for the coop to put crock of fermented feed on to prevent freezing and one for my brooder. It’s says supplemental heat for chicks but then I realize it is temperature controlled.

I've not used one. I can see where it would be useful for keeping eggs from freezing. And being temp controlled it wouldn't be wasting electricity in "enough above freezing" temperatures.

I currently have my MHP pad out in the closed community box where Trill, Betty and Veronica lay. I don't leave it on over night and Trill has now twice laid before I dragged out into the cold to do morning animal chores including turning it on. B & V haven't laid since last week though.

 

[Blooie]

Gearing up.....we're going to be coming up on that most exciting time of the year around here - CHICK SEASON! It's just around the corner, and I'm so excited at the possibilities of having lots of new Broody Brigade members! Since I don't have my chickens anymore, I'm going to have to live vicariously through everyone else!!

Let the countdown begin..............

 

[21hens-incharge]

So good to see you again Blooie!

Yesh baby birdies!!

I am living vicariously through others this chick season too. I am full on hens but enjoy everyone's excitement with ney little ones.

 

[Blooie]

It's good to be back...right now we're in a lull between trips for Grand Lodge, but that'll change around the end of January. Then it'll be a "pop-in-as-signal-allows" scenario again. <Deep breath, Blooie...it'll all be over in August ------ of 2019.>

 

[21hens-incharge]

hang in there! It cannot last forever.

Whenever you can pop in you know we will be here.

 

[Blooie]

hang in there! It cannot last forever.

Whenever you can pop in you know we will be here.

 

[aart]

It's good to be back...right now we're in a lull between trips for Grand Lodge, but that'll change around the end of January. Then it'll be a "pop-in-as-signal-allows" scenario again. <Deep breath, Blooie...it'll all be over in August ------ of 2019.>

Are you moving? IIRC you got rid of all your birds?
Sorry, I can't keep up.

 

[Blooie]

Yeah, we rehomed them all in late August. It wasn't an easy decision, but I had to do some soul searching and I realized that although they were healthy, active (some relatively young and some were our old sweethearts) it might not be long before, little by little, they would start showing signs of neglect. I didn't want that for them or for me. We are constantly going out of town for 3-4 days at a time, sometimes being gone for 2 days on two separate occasions in the same week and our best chicken sitter, Katie, has moved with her across town. For her to come and care for them meant that Jenny would have to pack up Kendra, bring Katie over, wait until chores were done, then take them home. Not quite fair to them. Add to that some ongoing health issues, and it became kinder to do the hard thing and rehome. Luckily a friend of Ken's who has a great flock was looking to add since he refurbished a nice big barn for his, and he was eager to take them. I just couldn't care for them the way they deserved and needed. Being a grownup stinks.

 

[bruceha2000]

Being a grownup stinks.

Perhaps, but you do it better than a lot of people!!

DW was doing some calculating.
We have 5 girls that will be 6 this coming June. One Faverolles laid only 8 eggs, the other 51, the Ancona laid a total of 49 with REALLY thin shells, many unusable. The BA laid 80 but she took 2 months off to raise 7 chicks from Meyer. The last laid quite well (118) for a 5 Y/O EE especially since she laid only 109 the prior year!

She figures there will be some age related losses in the 6 Y/Os and many fewer eggs from the 6 & 3 Y/Os so maybe we need MORE chicks this spring! Not sure how well the 6 that are currently 8 months old will lay this coming year. They have apparently all shut down now which is TOTALLY not what the prior 2 batches of 1st year pullets did. But if we do get more chicks, I know where my MHP is ... sitting in the enclosed nest box in case one of the girls decides she should help pay her way.

 

[NNYchick]

Its me again with another question. Has anyone used the rack from a turkey roaster to put the heating pad on? I have an extra and was wondering what the thoughts would be. looks similar to this. I was thinking I could put the V end up and attach the heating pad to the underside.