Mama heating pad???

[kaylee's poultry place]

where do I get one, do I even need one if I have heat lamp? Pros and cons please!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Purchase a heat pad....make sure it does NOT have autoshutoff....and build/choose your frame. This thread is long but worth the read, tons of different versions people have assembled
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Meant to add....it is an alternative to the light based heat source(heat lamp)....you need only one, not both.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

We did the Mama Heat Pad last March for our new chicks after reading the LONG thread here. Totally convinced this is better than a heat lamp. However, we went thru a couple of revisions and if you are going to build your own, I suggest that you make a simple wooden frame, put your wire/heating pad under it. The important part is to use something like all thread bolts on the 4 corners with nuts so that you can adjust the height of the pad. Our one mistake in learning was having any "pinch points" where a small chick can get trapped.

The actual heating pad is inside a pillow case and bungee corded to the under side of the wood frame/wire. 2 sides of the structure are open and the other sides are just the heating pad/pillow case. Just raise or lower the frame to suit the size of the chicks. You "might" want to cover the top with a a cloth/towel to make sure the chicks can't get caught in the wire mesh. As they get bigger some may want to sleep on top. Good luck, BB

 

[Birdinhand]

buy this type:
https://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-0020...r=8-1-spons&keywords=sunbeam+heating+pad&th=1

way better than a heat lamp, they actually sleep and studies who it's better for health in general and no pesky coop/house fires or third degree burns... and it uses a fraction of the energy. kind of the difference between incandescent and LED bulbs, but even better.

 

[aart]

Better than a heat lamp for sure.
Here's my version:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.67729/

 

[kwhites634]

where do I get one, do I even need one if I have heat lamp? Pros and cons please!

You can make one yourself easily, & they're a lot safer than a heat lamp