Mama Heating Pad Problems

[Kale Chips]

Hello! My chicks arrive tomorrow and so today I set up my brooder. I plugged in the heating pad a few days ago and on high it got up to around 110*F which felt quite warm. When I plug it into the outlet in the basement (where the chicks will be) it only get up to around 89*F on HIGH! I plugged it into the outlet that I used the first day and it got warmer immediately. I don't know what the difference is...I am wondering if the outlet is just less powerful but I didn't really think that was possible. So I guess my question is this: what temperature should the heating pad be? While 89*F hardly feels warm to me, will it be enough for my chicks or will I need to figure out a way for it to get warmer?

So I have tested the heating pad and so far my results are:

Outlet #1 (in the basement by the brooder)- around 89*F
Outlet #2 (on the first floor)- around 99*F
Outlet #3 (on the second floor)- around 110*F

WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?! Has anyone else had this problem? I suppose if needed I could use an extension cord from the "hotter" outlets, but I would probably only be able to run a cord from the first floor down. It seems a bit ridiculous to run a cord down two floors....I just don't know.

I have a indoor/outdoor thermometer that is sitting directly on top of the pad itself that is giving me these numbers. Both the thermometer and heating pad are new.

Also, I have 24% protein starter crumbles as well as save-a-chick electrolytes that I plan on offering them once they arrive. Does that sound about right?

I have never had chicks before and I am so excited but also kinda nervous! Thanks for helping me on my journey of raising my little babies

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would ask these questions directly in the MHP thread. Hopefully someone can answer your questions. I personally use my trusty heat lamp for brooding and know nothing about pads.

 

[debid]

Your temperature taking technique is flawed. Instead of getting a surface temperature measurement, you're getting an air temperature measurement taken above the surface. That means your room temperature is a factor. In most homes, the upper level is warmest, basement coolest. This won't affect the chicks in any negative way but it sure messes with your thermometer. But don't worry, many of us brood in colder temperatures than your basement. Your heating pad is plenty warm when used as a contact heater as intended. I'm hoping that you have it set up so the chicks can go underneath it and touch their backs to the pad.

 

[Kale Chips]

Ok, thank you! That makes so much sense. I do have the pad tied to the underside of the wire form so that they can press their backs directly onto it so I am thinking I am all set to go! Thank you for your help!

 

[Blooie]

Maybe I can help a little here too. I'm going to make a few recommendations based on what's been shared over on the thread. You may already be doing some of those things, I don't know, but here goes:

The heating pad has a warmer and a cooler side, believe it or not. For using it as MHP, you want to have the printed side down toward the chicks. It's the warmer side. Doesn't make sense, I know, but that's been established with careful measurements by one of our regulars over on the thread. So colored, fuzzy side up facing the ceiling, printed side down toward the floor.

Don't cover it with a lot of fru-fru thinking you're keeping the inside of the cave warmer that way. In reality you're just trapping the heat in the pad. It needs air circulation. A simple thin towel or wrapping the entire assembly inside a pillowcase tied or taped shut does quite nicely, and the main reason for that is to keep the pad a little cleaner.

Don't expect to get that recommended "95 the first week, 90 the second, etc" temperatures under there. Ain't happening. The average temp under a good setup runs between 82 and 86 degrees. I measured it once in answer to a question about it that got me curious, then never looked again. For the age of my chicks at the time it should have been 90 degrees. My chicks should have been dead, according to the books. They were thriving. I nixed the thermometer and never worried about it again. And I agree that you're not measuring in the right place, if you're going to measure. that 82-86 degrees isn't written in stone and it was measured on the floor of the cave, not the pad itself. You don't want it much lower than that 82 degrees, but a degree or two one way or the other isn't a deal breaker. Remember that your chicks are going to be adding their body heat to the cave as well.

The best thermometer for MHP is the chicks themselves. They'll tell you what you need to know, and you'll learn to read them very quickly. If it's too cold, they'll huddle in a back corner under there and not want to come out at all. (Now, sitting tight is typical behavior the first few hours - moving to new digs is exhausting and it's all a big change for them. So you'll likely have them go under - or have to be shown how to go under - and then stay put, so quiet you'd think they were unconscious. If they were under Mama Broody Hen, they'd do the same thing. Being noisy attracts predators when they are most vulnerable, so for the first hours or day they stick tight under her protection.) But after that they should be ducking in and out, up on top, running all over the brooder, and then going under when the sun goes down to go to sleep for the night. If they won't go under at all, or spend all their time at the entrance, it may well be too warm under there. It's not unusual in that case for them to pile up nowhere near the heating pad and try to keep warm without it. Again, if they are running in and out and exploring their brooder, then ducking under for a quick warmup, you've nailed it.

Ideally you should probably just set it up where you want it, get the chicks and base your settings on what THEY tell you, not me or some books. I personally think the cooler the ambient temperatures in the room you're using the better, so the basement seems to be your best bet.

Bottom line is that this is totally different from using a heat lamp and the recommendations for that use. MHP doesn't warm the entire brooder, it works by warming the chicks directly, just as a hen does. They don't need light 24/7 - they need to sleep too. A mother hen doesn't have a night light under her wings, and they don't eat around the clock when she's raising them. When she goes to bed, they go under her and sleep all night. They self-regulate. They know when they need to warm up and they know when they are comfortable enough to go back out. I raise my chicks outdoors using MHP and the temps are still in the twenties, dropping into the teens. They spend as much time out of the cave as they do in it. I have a couple of videos of some very happy chicks using it, if that would help you.

 

[Kale Chips]

That is a great idea to just let the chicks be the judge of the temperature! Thank you for all the great tips!!

 

[Miss Chickpea]

Maybe I can help a little here too. I'm going to make a few recommendations based on what's been shared over on the thread. You may already be doing some of those things, I don't know, but here goes:

The heating pad has a warmer and a cooler side, believe it or not. For using it as MHP, you want to have the printed side down toward the chicks. It's the warmer side. Doesn't make sense, I know, but that's been established with careful measurements by one of our regulars over on the thread. So colored, fuzzy side up facing the ceiling, printed side down toward the floor.

Don't cover it with a lot of fru-fru thinking you're keeping the inside of the cave warmer that way. In reality you're just trapping the heat in the pad. It needs air circulation. A simple thin towel or wrapping the entire assembly inside a pillowcase tied or taped shut does quite nicely, and the main reason for that is to keep the pad a little cleaner.

Don't expect to get that recommended "95 the first week, 90 the second, etc" temperatures under there. Ain't happening. The average temp under a good setup runs between 82 and 86 degrees. I measured it once in answer to a question about it that got me curious, then never looked again. For the age of my chicks at the time it should have been 90 degrees. My chicks should have been dead, according to the books. They were thriving. I nixed the thermometer and never worried about it again. And I agree that you're not measuring in the right place, if you're going to measure. that 82-86 degrees isn't written in stone and it was measured on the floor of the cave, not the pad itself. You don't want it much lower than that 82 degrees, but a degree or two one way or the other isn't a deal breaker. Remember that your chicks are going to be adding their body heat to the cave as well.

The best thermometer for MHP is the chicks themselves. They'll tell you what you need to know, and you'll learn to read them very quickly. If it's too cold, they'll huddle in a back corner under there and not want to come out at all. (Now, sitting tight is typical behavior the first few hours - moving to new digs is exhausting and it's all a big change for them. So you'll likely have them go under - or have to be shown how to go under - and then stay put, so quiet you'd think they were unconscious. If they were under Mama Broody Hen, they'd do the same thing. Being noisy attracts predators when they are most vulnerable, so for the first hours or day they stick tight under her protection.) But after that they should be ducking in and out, up on top, running all over the brooder, and then going under when the sun goes down to go to sleep for the night. If they won't go under at all, or spend all their time at the entrance, it may well be too warm under there. It's not unusual in that case for them to pile up nowhere near the heating pad and try to keep warm without it. Again, if they are running in and out and exploring their brooder, then ducking under for a quick warmup, you've nailed it.

Ideally you should probably just set it up where you want it, get the chicks and base your settings on what THEY tell you, not me or some books. I personally think the cooler the ambient temperatures in the room you're using the better, so the basement seems to be your best bet.

Bottom line is that this is totally different from using a heat lamp and the recommendations for that use. MHP doesn't warm the entire brooder, it works by warming the chicks directly, just as a hen does. They don't need light 24/7 - they need to sleep too. A mother hen doesn't have a night light under her wings, and they don't eat around the clock when she's raising them. When she goes to bed, they go under her and sleep all night. They self-regulate. They know when they need to warm up and they know when they are comfortable enough to go back out. I raise my chicks outdoors using MHP and the temps are still in the twenties, dropping into the teens. They spend as much time out of the cave as they do in it. I have a couple of videos of some very happy chicks using it, if that would help you.

Great advise, thank you! Question...should the chick be able to run out both sides, or is it okay if it is backed up against a wall with only access the front? I don't want any trapped or squished chicks!

 

[member 373180]

I leave an opening at the back so they can slip out if they're getting squashed. Make sure to be around for a few hours after they arrive, too, you might have to stuff them all under there a few times before they figure it out (you'll find them all huddling in some other corner trying to keep warm).

Definitely just let them tell you. I've brooded outdoors in the winter and not used the highest setting on the heating pad. Just make sure they can snuggle up under it, I just shove in more litter in the beginning and they rearrange it to suit. Super easy.

Have fun!

 

[Kale Chips]

Yes, that is a great tip! MAKE SURE they all get under there! At first my little chickies were cheeping loudly and were all scared, but once I corralled them under it and blocked the exit for just a moment they all got perfectly quiet! It was so funny how they all hushed once they realized they were warm! It did take a couple tries for some of the slower learners, but eventually they all figured it out!

 

[junebuggena]

Yes, that is a great tip! MAKE SURE they all get under there! At first my little chickies were cheeping loudly and were all scared, but once I corralled them under it and blocked the exit for just a moment they all got perfectly quiet! It was so funny how they all hushed once they realized they were warm! It did take a couple tries for some of the slower learners, but eventually they all figured it out!

If you think that's funny, just wait till one gets up on top of the pad and can't figure out where everybody else is. They just sit up there yelling. For the first three days, I find that I'm always rescuing 'lost' chicks. Just like babies, they have no concept of object permanence. It's out of sight, out of mind for them. Some take weeks to figure out that they haven't been completely abandoned.