Well.... I either need to get a bigger tote for my phase 2 brooder or get a smaller heating plate.
My FIL usually likes going to bed between 8-9pm, so this time of year is rough on him, especially when birds don't want to be put to bed (he does most of the scheduled chores for the birds because he doesn't have kids to care for or a job). Tonight, some of the chicks in the phase 2 brooder did NOT want to go in the tote with the heater plate. So he asked us to deal with them while he went to bed. Well, I shoved them in and shut the door, while one particularly stubborn one kept trying to fly out. I came back inside and I had a crazy thought, what was making those birds not want to go in. I was thinking a snake or something like that. So a little after 10, I trudge back outside to look. I pull up the heater plate and all the chicks are panting like crazy. With it only going down to 70 at night, the chicks are getting overheated by the plate. With the plate being so big, they really have no where to go to get away from the heat. *facepalm* It worked nicely when the nights were cold, but not now. I think a larger tote or something like will be easier to get a hold of since my favorite brand of heater plates are currently out of stock. I went ahead and took the plate out for toight, since it is going to be so warm. The largest chicks are mostly feathered out, the little ones can huddle up with the bigger ones if they get cold.
Do you remember my brooder out of hardware cloth?
I am sure one end could be boxed in leaving enough room to escape the heat.
Lots of air exchange with it for sure.

