MHP- Sunbeam Heating pad defective?

[theminimizer]

So I got a Sunbeam heating pad so I could make a MHP, but it doesn't feel very ward. Itonly gets to about 80 degrees 1 inch from the pad after 3 hours of the highest setting- is that really enough for the chicks? Or did I get a dud? I'm thinking I just got a dud and need to re-buy, but wanted to know if anyone else had problems like this.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

I got the 9inch one for 3 chicks. It doesn't heat the air that much but I set it up on the metal rack with the towel on top and put my hand inside touching it and it got pretty toasty. And my chicks were totally happy with it.

Unlike a heat lamp, it doesn't need to raise the air temps as much because they can snuggle up to it AND the cave you create with the towel traps their body heat too.

If you're worried, have a back up option ready and try to get your chicks in the morning so you have plenty of time to see how they're doing with your setup. Quiet, sing-song chirps are happy chicks. Shrill, car-alarm, scream-peeps are unhappy chicks.

You may also need to herd your chicks under the heating pad a few times before they figure out its the warm spot. Or maybe mine were just extra dumb .

 

[rosemarythyme]

Heat pads do NOT increase ambient air temperature, so disregard thermometer in this case. It works via direct contact, so if it's hot on contact, then it's working as intended. Make sure your heat pad set up is set low enough to the floor to allow the chicks to press against the pad - ideally you want both low and higher areas (i.e. set it at a slant) so chicks can decide for themselves how much heat they get.