Seedling heat pad and temp reading for MHP cave?

[cityeggs]

I'm interested in trying the mama heat pad cave for our next two chicks. I borrowed a Brinsea plate brooder for our first 4 chicks last year, which worked just fine, but I'd like to have my own system, rather than asking to borrow it again. Instead of buying yet another thing, though, I already have a seedling mat and am trying to figure out if I can use that in lieu of a human heating pad for the MHP. All the info that I found on the long mama heat pad cave thread (admittedly, I didn't read all 48+ pages) mentions what setting to put the heating pad at, but not what the surface temp read-out should be. I know that with heat lamps, the ambient temp should be ~90F for the first week, decreasing by 5 degrees/week (or something close to that?). If using direct heat, what should the surface temp be? I checked my seedling mat and it's just slightly warm to the touch, reading 80F on the surface, and barely 85-86 when covered with a kitchen towel to trap a little more heat. Does this sound like the right temp for the surface of the heating pad? I feel like the Brinsea was significantly warmer to the touch, but I never thought to check it with a thermometer (hindsight - totally should have, thankfully, it worked just fine and our chicks were safe!)

I'm pretty sure I'll start them inside for the first two weeks, mostly because I don't feel like running an extension cord out to the coop for weeks at a time, but may try to introduce them to our 3-hen mini-flock with a mesh brooder within the coop after that, depending on space & temps by then. We're in the Bay Area, so right now daytime temps run 68-75, with evening temps around 58-63, though it will probably be a little warmer by the end of Aug when I pick up the chicks. Indoors, temp is typically 68-70 degrees.

I can buy a thermostat controller for the seedling mat if I need to make it warmer than 80-85F, but reviews are widely variable on accuracy and quality, with of course cheaper ones being a crap-shoot, and again, at that point, maybe I should just buy a heating pad that should've at least gone through some safety testing bc of its design for use on humans, which would cost less than the thermostat...

 

[Blooie]

pawning Heating pads get to hot and can cause a fire they are not meant to be kept on for days

Neither are heat lamps, if you come right down to it. We’ve had reports on the MHP thread of chicks being burned by commercial brooder heat plates too, complete with photos.

Look, nothing is fireproof. Nothing. Anything from a phone charger to a coffee pot can start a fire. Shoot, I’m married to an electrician and he’s taken photos of burned wires and insulation within walls behind outlets despite absolutely nothing being plugged in. And any - absolutely any - appliance designed to produce heat is always riskier than say an electric can opener. The heating pads most of us use have a specific switch on them for “stay on”. That’s the Sunbeam X-Press Heat model. I never, ever recommend that anyone grab a old heating pad that‘s been rolled or folded and stuffed in the back of a linen closet. The wires in old pads can become brittle over time and develop tiny cracks from being shoved around folded up. Those cracks can cause shorts within the pad.

Common sense has to be the guide with any heat source. If you’re not comfortable using a heating pad, then obviously don’t do it. If you don’t like the notion of a heat lamp, chose an alternative. Mama Heating Pad has repeatedly proven to be a gentle source of even heat for raising chicks by hundreds and hundreds of people, without a single report of a fire, and believe me, people on the MHP thread have reported every problem from chicks nor using it to chicks getting trapped at the back of them. It doesn’t heat the bedding, the walls, the floors, it just warms the chicks. When anything unusual has happened, the users are quick to post on the thread about it and we immediately brainstorm to find solutions. That “we” is all of those successfully using MHP. Now search BYC for reports of heat lamp fires - new ones pop up every year.

Chicks only use MHP for about 3 weeks, and most of us completely turn the pad off on nice days…the chicks will still go under and snuggle down, but in reality they spend very little time under it even when they are tiny. This time of year it would be used more for that “raised by a broody hen” feeling for the chicks than for heat anyway. Common sense. Using properly grounded outlets, checking the pad carefully every time it comes out for a chick season, and investing in a new pad to begin the MHP journey (which is then never folded or rolled between uses), plus the gentle heat put out by the pad make it every bit as safe as most alternative methods, and darn sure safer than a heat lamp.

I‘d a million times be more willing to grab a running heating pad than a running heat lamp any day. I just raised my 10th or 11th batch of chicks spanning over 7 years, using the very Heating Pad and frame I started out with. They are just as safe as any other method of providing heat, and as I said, safer than some.

My worry with a seeding mat is it may not get warm enough, which may be ok for summer use in hotter climates, where very little heat is needed, but might not be enough if things cool off or in an air conditioned home.
Heating pads are fairly cheap, it may be worth it to you to pick one up for the extra assurance that many of us have used heating pads to brood with.

I agree. Seedling mats just aren’t warm enough. The temp on the floor of a Mama Heating Pad cave should average between 82.5 and 85 degrees.

I’m know that sounds contrary to what we’ve been taught about heat for chicks, but honestly they don’t need to be as warm as we were told. Need proof? How about a batch of chicks climbing over patches of snow as they trail behind a broody hen….they aren’t being kept in a 95 degree box and they thrive!

 

[Blooie]

I'm picking up chicks this morning and am using a seedling mat for a MHP. In the cave the temp is reading about 86 degrees. They'll be in the garage which is about 75 this time of year. Big windows so they get natural light. I'll move them out to the coop to introduce them to the big girls at about three weeks.

Let us know how that works, with photos of your setup, and post it on the Mama Heating Pad thread. Others who have tried the mats weren’t too impressed but if you’ve found a setup that works, by all means share!! No such thing as too much learning!!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Neither are heat lamps, if you come right down to it. We’ve had reports on the MHP thread of chicks being burned by commercial brooder heat plates too, complete with photos.

Look, nothing is fireproof. Nothing. Anything from a phone charger to a coffee pot can start a fire. Shoot, I’m married to an electrician and he’s taken photos of burned wires and insulation within walls behind outlets despite absolutely nothing being plugged in. And any - absolutely any - appliance designed to produce heat is always riskier than say an electric can opener. The heating pads most of us use have a specific switch on them for “stay on”. That’s the Sunbeam X-Press Heat model. I never, ever recommend that anyone grab a old heating pad that‘s been rolled or folded and stuffed in the back of a linen closet. The wires in old pads can become brittle over time and develop tiny cracks from being shoved around folded up. Those cracks can cause shorts within the pad.

Common sense has to be the guide with any heat source. If you’re not comfortable using a heating pad, then obviously don’t do it. If you don’t like the notion of a heat lamp, chose an alternative. Mama Heating Pad has repeatedly proven to be a gentle source of even heat for raising chicks by hundreds and hundreds of people, without a single report of a fire, and believe me, people on the MHP thread have reported every problem from chicks nor using it to chicks getting trapped at the back of them. It doesn’t heat the bedding, the walls, the floors, it just warms the chicks. When anything unusual has happened, the users are quick to post on the thread about it and we immediately brainstorm to find solutions. That “we” is all of those successfully using MHP. Now search BYC for reports of heat lamp fires - new ones pop up every year.

Chicks only use MHP for about 3 weeks, and most of us completely turn the pad off on nice days…the chicks will still go under and snuggle down, but in reality they spend very little time under it even when they are tiny. This time of year it would be used more for that “raised by a broody hen” feeling for the chicks than for heat anyway. Common sense. Using properly grounded outlets, checking the pad carefully every time it comes out for a chick season, and investing in a new pad to begin the MHP journey (which is then never folded or rolled between uses), plus the gentle heat put out by the pad make it every bit as safe as most alternative methods, and darn sure safer than a heat lamp.

I‘d a million times be more willing to grab a running heating pad than a running heat lamp any day. I just raised my 10th or 11th batch of chicks spanning over 7 years, using the very Heating Pad and frame I started out with. They are just as safe as any other method of providing heat, and as I said, safer than some.

I agree. Seedling mats just aren’t warm enough. The temp on the floor of a Mama Heating Pad cave should average between 82.5 and 85 degrees.

I’m know that sounds contrary to what we’ve been taught about heat for chicks, but honestly they don’t need to be as warm as we were told. Need proof? How about a batch of chicks climbing over patches of snow as they trail behind a broody hen….they aren’t being kept in a 95 degree box and they thrive!

I disagree...broodies are fireproof lol in reality nothings safe when it comes to heating for chicks. Ive seen a video before where a kid left a heating pad on and the house burned down. Things are safe if people keep them clean as i think the dust is what catches allot of the time because people leave the dust on the lamps etc

 

[RumneyRoost]

I'm picking up chicks this morning and am using a seedling mat for a MHP. In the cave the temp is reading about 86 degrees. They'll be in the garage which is about 75 this time of year. Big windows so they get natural light. I'll move them out to the coop to introduce them to the big girls at about three weeks.

 

[RumneyRoost]

I have the thermostat set to 95. It did warm up to that yesterday afternoon when the sun was out. Overnight the garage cooled back down a little and their cave was 90f this morning. It seems to keep it about 15 degrees warmer than the room.

They seem to love it. I dipped their beaks in the water and then ushered them into the cave. They immediately went quiet and warmed up, then explored the brooder. As the sun went down they went to bed on their own.

 

[RumneyRoost]

Just wanted to update. The littles are almost two weeks old and they’ve done well with the seedling mat. The last 4-5 nights I’ve found a couple sleeping half under and a couple sleeping on top.

So today I moved them outside. Inside the tote is nice and dry, I added a second mat on the floor as well. If they’re too warm they can move off of it or come closer to the door.
Night time temps are 60-65 here right now. At 8:45pm the thermostat sensor for the mats was reading 95f.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My worry with a seeding mat is it may not get warm enough, which may be ok for summer use in hotter climates, where very little heat is needed, but might not be enough if things cool off or in an air conditioned home.

Heating pads are fairly cheap, it may be worth it to you to pick one up for the extra assurance that many of us have used heating pads to brood with.

 

[RumneyRoost]

This is the one that I have. I do have another one without a thermostat that doesn’t seem to get as warm.
I plan to move them outside to start integrating in a few weeks. I may have to add the second mat if the night time temps are too cold.

 

[cityeggs]

Just wanted to update. The littles are almost two weeks old and they’ve done well with the seedling mat. The last 4-5 nights I’ve found a couple sleeping half under and a couple sleeping on top.

So today I moved them outside. Inside the tote is nice and dry, I added a second mat on the floor as well. If they’re too warm they can move off of it or come closer to the door.
Night time temps are 60-65 here right now. At 8:45pm the thermostat sensor for the mats was reading 95f.

Thanks for the update! That's great to hear and really helpful to know the temp you're getting!

Based on your experience, I got a thermostat for my seedling mat and tested it out by setting it at 85F for a few hours. I kept a separate thermometer under it along with the sensor, and the thermometer consistently read 90-92F underneath with surrounding air temp around 70, which sounds like it's the right range for chicks?? I will keep the separate thermometer in there to gauge whether the thermostat is just +5 degrees above what the sensor reads, or whether it changes depending on what it's set to.

Our two chicks arrive Friday. We're going to keep them indoors for at least a few days to keep a closer eye on them (and bc they're just so much fun to watch), and then gauge whether to fully move them outside, or just during the day; it depends on how hard it is to run the extension cord into the secure coop & run at night. During the day, we keep the door open to a larger fenced area (and the chicks will be in a big dog crate within sight of the big girls), so the cord can come in through the door without making any holes in our tight coop, or just keep them in the yard part.