Safe heat source and Brooder set up?

[Blooie]

I’ve raised babies before with a heat lamp. i haTED That the light was on all the time. I’m using the mama heating pad cave and i love it. Not hard to set up. Instead of making the wire frame I use one o of those coated wire step shelves like you use for sipce jars in a kitchencabinet. Just covered it with a heating pad and put the whole thing inside a pair o of old flannel pajamas with the leg so tucked underneath.

Love it!!!

 

[ironsightfarm]

I ordered 9 baby chicks that should arrive in about a week. I’m going to use a big cardboard box to keep them in(and keep adding on as they get bigger), so I wanted to ask what heat sources you all have used that are safer than the traditional heat lamp? (which I used for my first set of chicks 2yrs ago)
And is it ok to keeps chicks in the garage or would it bad to be kept in there with a car that’d be driving in and out daily?
Any tips you’ve found helpful raising chicks?
Thanks!

I chose a heat plate to raise my chicks with and LOVED it - I used the Premier1 plate with the temp regulator, and by week 3/4 my chicks had stopped using it. It personally felt like a more natural, safer choice for me. Important to note, and I learned this the hard way, is that if you have to separate chicks for any reason you will need a second heat plate as it's not a heat source that could be divided between 2 brooders! Honestly didn't even think of it until I had to run to TSC because I had to separate a chick

 

[cluckcluckhens]

We picked up eight chicks on May 11, one breed was already tall at two weeks, other one was tall so I'm not sure if they are two weeks or more, third breed was a week give or take a day or two. After having them for two weeks chicks didn't want the clip on light we are using with a 72 watt regular bulb. Chicks out grew their box so we added another one beside the main one to give them more room. They spend more time in the newer box it is like a condo to them. Last week we moved them outside in the run. We sectioned off an area just for the chicks. The noise coming from one of our hens is unbelievable. Mad as ever. It was last week when they went outside for the day and we brought them back in when it started to get dark. They did not want to come back in. We have them set up in their extended boxes in the living room with a wire across the top to keep cats from getting them. Cat have their entertainment now by watching them in the box. Hours of entertainment of watching them. So, cute to watch the cats watch the chicks. Yesterday chicks were introduced to straw and was scared of it because they have never had straw. Now, fancy foot chicken dance is going on. Looks cute from them doing this. Golden hens want to be near the chicks but Silver is taking a little longer to adjust.

 

[HennyPenny2019]

Probably not great to have a car coming and going, my big girls who are now 9 months old still hate it when we pull in and out of the driveway and I'm convinced they think the school bus is eating my daughter!

As for heat, you have a few choices. You can make a heat cave:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

Or you can do a heat emitting pad that only emits heat when they come in contact with it. I think this is better for older chicks going into the coop than newborns, though:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LX9K1JI/?tag=backy-20

I know some use reptile heater bulbs which are different from standard heat lamps. Also, our babies were in a plastic tote and we used a heat lamp (125 watts) with no issues and just kept raising the height until taking it away. There is no chance, short of an electrical or wiring issue, that it ever got hot enough to melt the tub or burn cardboard.

Best of luck with whatever you choose and enjoy those babies!!!

ETA- If (well, who am I kidding...WHEN) I get baby chicks again I'll be doing the heat cave. It just seems the easiest, safest choice overall and no issue with the light being on all the time and them having to adjust to darkness when they are ready to go into the coop. That's just me, though. My chicks were brats about the dark those first few days without that constant red glow!

I just (7 days old) got my first ever chicks and am using the “heat cave” method that I learned about on here. My options were also limited to the garage which had a tractor and a motorcycle in it (nope) or my covered back porch. The porch won out and I made their pen from my old stainless steel puppy helping pen using the Press-n-seal idea also learned on here to keep the wood shavings in. It gets pretty warm during the days but the evenings this week dropped to the lot-mid 60s ... not good. So, at night I am covering the pen with a flannel sheet and have added a small electric heater on its lowest setting (has thermostat) to an open end. Been using this set up for 5 nights and it’s working great, consistent 80+ degrees. I do have to admit ... I go out and check on them, check the temperature, a few times during the night ... I’m a worrier But so far so good and I am crazy in love with these chicks!

 

[HennyPenny2019]

I guess some have, but the plates actually get hotter than the heating pads do, and that would concern me.

I’m using the heating pad but also heating the pen at night with a small electric heater ... am I over doing this? I am SO scared of them getting cold. They are on my covered back deck. 60s at night.

 

[Blooie]

Wow! My chicks are out in the run in temps in the teens and twenties with nothing but Mama Heating Pad. A broody hen doesn’t heat the entire environment so neither do I. I’d worry about all of these heaters with blankets and other coverings. I dunno - if anyone ends up with a fire or scorching issues I don’t wanna heat that Mama Heating Pad causes fires.

 

[Little Coop on Salt Creek]

I'm not feeling the best right now, so forgive me if I have read your post wrong. We have our chicks .. all 4 groups outside in built-in brooders in our coops. Our temps can be even colder than 60 at night. 2 groups have their heating pad mama's and 2 groups have broody mama's. Everyone is doing well, if they need/want heat, they get under the mama and if they don't need/want heat, they are just outside the mama. To answer your question, I wouldn't be concerned if all chicks have access to the heating pad mama. Then they can choose if they need/want the extra heat.

 

[Blooie]

I hope you get to feeling better soon! This is a rotten time to be sick....I mean there IS no good time, but this time of year we always have so many projects going on and they all seem to need to done yesterday!

 

[Little Coop on Salt Creek]

I hope you get to feeling better soon! This is a rotten time to be sick....I mean there IS no good time, but this time of year we always have so many projects going on and they all seem to need to done yesterday!

Thank you @ Blooie! {with mask covering my mouth}
4 out of 5 of us ended up with a nasty late spring cold with aches and sore throat. I'm blaming our crazy one day its late winter, one day summer, one day early spring weather around here.

 

[Noy]

This is our new brooder that I set up today - outdoors in the run where the bigger babies are.

Can't wait for the new kids to arrive (probably on Wednesday)!