Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[bdfive]

I'd say the dangers are much less than a heating lamp when combining hay/straw bedding and intense heat.  Any electrical devise is a fire hazard, so I'm thinking she was just comparing the two extremes and summing it up but used a poor choice of words. 

I think it's a great option for newbies who don't know about heat lamps and how to use them for the well being of chicks...at least the chicks can escape a too hot heating pad but they cannot escape a heat lamp glaring down into a small brooder made out of a plastic tote, superheating the very air they breath and never a moment's rest from it.  I also think, as with any type of electrical devise that will be near water that could be spilled on it, that this will also have a danger all its own as different types of pads will be used,unsafe practices will be used, etc. 

For me, it's a more natural warmth for the chicks and I like the idea.  I don't have many fears of things in my life.....life is hard enough without living in constant fear and worry of every little thing and it can hinder the fun and excitement of living to try to control everything by worrying...which doesn't control anything but has the illusion of doing something about it.  Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair...a lot of back and forth effort, but no one's getting anywhere. 

Maybe concerned and cautious but not worried.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I know with my chicks I err on the side of cooler temps! They can always huddle together right under the lamp if they're a little chilly, but they can't make it cooler if they're over heating. Plus cooler temps means they may feather out faster meaning they can go outside sooner! I am so looking forward to spring!

 

[Tomtommom]

Let's be fair, pretty much anything electric can start a fire. It's just finding the one with LEAST risk. Heat lamps aren't it.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, yep. The lesser of the two evils is sometimes the only choice.

 

[Tomtommom]

My house is an electric fire hazard

Dear husband has been working on it since he moved in with me. Old paper wrapped wiring, overloaded circuits, loose ends hidden in walls. I trust his input when it comes to safety.. heat pads and heat plates are the way to go.

The only issue I see is the metal wire frame you talk about... I would urge you to consider something less condusive... perhaps PVC piping or vinyl coated chicken wire. It would cost a bit extra, but it's one of those 'safety first' things and likely still a lot cheaper than a heat plate.

 

[Beekissed]

My house is an electric fire hazard

Dear husband has been working on it since he moved in with me. Old paper wrapped wiring, overloaded circuits, loose ends hidden in walls. I trust his input when it comes to safety.. heat pads and heat plates are the way to go.

The only issue I see is the metal wire frame you talk about... I would urge you to consider something less condusive... perhaps PVC piping or vinyl coated chicken wire. It would cost a bit extra, but it's one of those 'safety first' things and likely still a lot cheaper than a heat plate.

The heating pad is on the underside of the wire...

There is no way the wire could heat up enough with a heating pad set for chicks to start a fire or burn a chick.

Nope....wire it is because that is what is on hand. PVC pipe and vinyl coated wire is not on hand.

 

[Tomtommom]

The heating pad is on the underside of the wire...

There is no way the wire could heat up enough with a heating pad set for chicks to start a fire or burn a chick.

Nope....wire it is because that is what is on hand. PVC pipe and vinyl coated wire is not on hand.

Fair enough

Don't worry, I have done plenty of projects with what I had on hand, rather than what's ideal to use. ..Still working on growing that money tree.

 

[Beekissed]

That's sort of what this project is all about...how can I incubate at home without throwing money at the problem? Once a person has bought all the little gadgets and fitted out a DIY incubator, they have almost as much money into it as one of those cheapy foam ones from the feed store.

It's not that I cannot afford these things but do I want to spend the money on them for the sake of incubating and brooding chicks once a year or every other year? I don't need more STUFF around here, I have stuff aplenty...what I need is a solution that uses the stuff that I currently possess, if it is at all possible. I think the whole world is drowning in "stuff" and I'm hoping to help folks streamline and save money on a simple incubation and if not that, on brooding.

If it's successful, GREAT! If it works I'll have a simple method of using what I have to get where I want to go and it won't be because I threw money at it until it stuck.

If it's not, it won't be from lack of trying and it won't be because I threw money at it in futility of trying to come up with a simple method~ and using money to buy the simple. That automatically negates my definition of simple.

 

[Tomtommom]

Oh Lord do I hear you on the 'stuff'. Once upon a time I had two suitcases to my name. One with books, one with clothes. Nothing gives stress relief like not owning 'stuff'.

The imagination required to see other uses in items is a fantastic skill to have

I was with you on the "don't spend on the hatching", my silly brain didn't think past that. Brooding, duh, part of the plan!

Once this method proves to work (I know it will, it just requires time and tweaking), I hope this group can work on a non-electric version... I always fear our dependence of electricity is going to bite us in the butt one day.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh Lord do I hear you on the 'stuff'. Once upon a time I had two suitcases to my name. One with books, one with clothes. Nothing gives stress relief like not owning 'stuff'.

The imagination required to see other uses in items is a fantastic skill to have

I was with you on the "don't spend on the hatching", my silly brain didn't think past that. Brooding, duh, part of the plan!

Once this method proves to work (I know it will, it just requires time and tweaking), I hope this group can work on a non-electric version... I always fear our dependence of electricity is going to bite us in the butt one day.

Me too and I think it would require a lot of time and experimenting, but one could do it with the wood stove(but not in spring/summer), hot water bottles(would need some serious and constant attention or packing in insulators of some kind, using composted materials like the crocodiles do but would still require much work to figure out how to use it, solar and mass and that would also take a good bit of twiddling.

I think the best and final solution would be to obtain breeds that go broody each spring and can reproduce their own, just like in the old days.

The "stuff" has been on my mind a lot this past year and I'm currently in the midst of spring cleaning days, so it's ever present in my mind right now. I don't want more stuff...I want that two bag kind of living you describe. When I was a teen, all my possessions fit into a cardboard box under my bed...clothes, shoes, everything. What a wonderful feeling!