MHP pics and experiences please!

[treslilbirds]

So this was my crude little MHP cave I made for my last brood back in August. It was just scrap chicken wire bent over 2 boards with a seedling germination mat and a kitchen towel. I duct taped off any sharp edges and for support beams, I cut up some of my surplus cardboard egg crates. TSC had an overstock last season and was selling packs for like .99 cents so I had several to spare. I love this method and I’ll never use a heat lamp. All my chicks were on the same sleep schedule as me (AWESOME), slept through the night, and they grew into the sweetest most well adjusted batch of hens and roosters.

 

[Hufflefluff]

(Everyone's chicks are so cute!)
I wanted to slide in here to ask what heat setting you guys keep the heat pad on? I'd just kinda assumed that it would be 'high', but it sounds like that may be too hot.

 

[Laodicia]

They LOVED the MHP as soon as they could they were climbing on top to stretch out. I used a $50CAD heating pad from the pharmacy that had a setting for no auto-off. and put it inside a pillow case. What I have holding it up is actually a couple of 2x4 triangular scraps and the one you can see in the middle there, with the plastic "mesh" from an old baby gate stapled to the top of them.

unlike all of the other chicks I had in my house these guys didn't chirp all night which was awesome.

 

[Laodicia]

(Everyone's chicks are so cute!)
I wanted to slide in here to ask what heat setting you guys keep the heat pad on? I'd just kinda assumed that it would be 'high', but it sounds like that may be too hot.

I can't remember, I used an extra thermometer I had from my incubator to make sure the temp wasn't getting too high I started around when I put the eggs into lockdown. I think I used setting 5, 6 being the highest. I only had them for about a week and a half though, and it was mid summer, so the temperature was a lot warmer than it would be now.

 

[BBZZZZTT]

(Everyone's chicks are so cute!)
I wanted to slide in here to ask what heat setting you guys keep the heat pad on? I'd just kinda assumed that it would be 'high', but it sounds like that may be too hot.

Mine was on high for about a week before they started looking too warm under there. I turned it down to medium and they were back to huddling under comfortably. Recently I put them downstairs where the ambient temp is high 50s as opposed to 70 upstairs so I bumped it back to high and they seem fine with that.
If they seem too cold and never come out, turn it up. Mine were sleeping just barely at the mouth of the cave and some toward the back came out panting one night so then I turned it down.