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

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MichelleT said:
I'm on round 2 with the MHP... We used a grill rack from a small BBQ grill ($1 from the local Good Will), 2 small bungee cords, and a rope threaded through the rack and attached to the walls of the brooder to hold up the front. We can adjust the height as we go. I'll get a picture of it, because it was super easy, but they're asleep (finally) now...

For now, here's one of the smallest (5 days) resting on the oldest (3-1/2 weeks). Notice her stretched legs so she can get the benefit of the MHP on her back and the benefit of her "big sister" on her tummy. Both were zonked this way.
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Awesome! Fingers crossed this will be us soon! Just put 3 of 18 into lockdown last night and ordered some siblings to supplement the flock, chicken math and all. This will be the first time using this method so Im getting cross eyed trying to research it all.
 
Relax and don't overthink it. That's when folks run into trouble. It's just heating pad that doesn't automatically shut off, either draped over or bungee corded under a frame of some sort, with a protective cover over it to keep it halfway clean. Turn it on and then let the chicks tell you what they want. You'll learn to read them so fast you won't believe it!
 
So here are some better pics. It is really the least amount of maintenance possible...
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You can see that I wrapped the heating pad in plastic (right forward corner) but then put an old kids t-shirt under the bungee cords so that the chicks wouldn't pick at it. 1 small BBQ rack for $1 at Good Will, 2 small bungee cords (still a little too long, so I had to knot them) and a rope in the front. As you can see we wove the rope through the BBQ rack in the front and then...

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One side is secured with a knot. The other side is wrapped multiple times through the bars and then secured. The rope is a little slack right now, allowing us to tighten the rope as they grow. We can also lift the back end of the MHP so there's an exit on 4 sides instead of 3, if we need to, and raise the rope to the next level of bars.

By the way, the "brooder" is just 4 shelves from an industrial shelving unit we aren't using right now. Corners are securely zip tied together and there's a "lid" of a few wood planks and some heavy duty cardboard. WE can easily assemble, reassemble out in the run when they're ready to move out, and then disassemble until next time...
 
UPDATE and DRAMA:
I bought the recommended Sunbeam King Size heating pad that I learned about here and loved it... until today. My babies, who are brooding in the basement (which was NOT my original plan, but hey, plans change) started kicking up a real fuss about an hour ago - that loud cheaping (help!) not the sweet peeps (I'm happing to be hanging with my buddies). So I went down and they were in a roar. When I checked the heating pad, it was still on BUT it was barely warm. UGH! :barnie Fortunately, I have been using an older, smaller, heating pad to warm my seedlings. Out of the brooder came the "new" pad and in went the older, smaller one. It's all quiet now.

So - note to those that are about to try this out... have a back up heating pad available. I am ordering another of the same pad on Amazon and hoping I can get a reimbursement of some sort because it didn't even last a year. Everything locally (Target, Walgreens, etc.) has that fabulous much un-needed 2-hour safety shut-off feature.:rolleyes: I'll have the new one by Saturday and I think that my older smaller version should be fine 'til then. Luckily, I only have 6 chicks and one is old enough to be sleeping at the edge... And luckily they were indoors where I could hear them and not out in the run where who knows when I'd have figured it out!
 
MichelleT said:
UPDATE and DRAMA:
I bought the recommended Sunbeam King Size heating pad that I learned about here and loved it... until today. My babies, who are brooding in the basement (which was NOT my original plan, but hey, plans change) started kicking up a real fuss about an hour ago - that loud cheaping (help!) not the sweet peeps (I'm happing to be hanging with my buddies). So I went down and they were in a roar. When I checked the heating pad, it was still on BUT it was barely warm. UGH! :barnie Fortunately, I have been using an older, smaller, heating pad to warm my seedlings. Out of the brooder came the "new" pad and in went the older, smaller one. It's all quiet now.

So - note to those that are about to try this out... have a back up heating pad available. I am ordering another of the same pad on Amazon and hoping I can get a reimbursement of some sort because it didn't even last a year. Everything locally (Target, Walgreens, etc.) has that fabulous much un-needed 2-hour safety shut-off feature.:rolleyes: I'll have the new one by Saturday and I think that my older smaller version should be fine 'til then. Luckily, I only have 6 chicks and one is old enough to be sleeping at the edge... And luckily they were indoors where I could hear them and not out in the run where who knows when I'd have figured it out!
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Ugh...sorry to hear your news! My local Walgreens did not carry the heating pad either, but the company does. Turns out the Walgreens two towns over had about 11 in stock. Just thought I would share in case you hadn't search outside your most local store. God bless.
 
Farmer Doc said:
Ugh...sorry to hear your news! My local Walgreens did not carry the heating pad either, but the company does. Turns out the Walgreens two towns over had about 11 in stock. Just thought I would share in case you hadn't search outside your most local store. God bless.
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Thanks! I think we’re good with the old one for another day and night. They’re silent and huddled under now... but good to know for future reference.
 
I'm sorry you had this happen. I don't know how to explain it. But I do know that every time something goes wrong or doesn't work well, people are very good about coming here and explaining what happened. That and the brainstorming that usually follows helps everyone. No system is flawless, but the more we know the better off we are! Good thinking to use a spare!
 
Blooie said:
I'm sorry you had this happen. I don't know how to explain it. But I do know that every time something goes wrong or doesn't work well, people are very good about coming here and explaining what happened.
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:thumbsup

I agree, and I wanted to continue with the positive feedback. I think that even with its glitches there is so much more that can go wrong with a heating lamp. Even with our close call, i would choose the MHP every time!

I would also recommend (besides having a spare) that if you’re brooding outdoors maybe a baby monitor would be helpful. I know that is what we’ll do next time!
 

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