Spring 2017 first timers post!

[Lamaremybabies]

Thank you!   Ocean and Moana were named by our kids but we had a lot of fun naming the others.

Haha, that's fantastic!

 

[Wavechickens]

Love the names, super cute
It's scary how strange chickens can be that they'll pick on a new bird so bad they'll make them bleed. We have had the biggest hen be the meanest one time, and then the smallest be the meanest the next when my parents had chickens when I was a kid!
Our littlest, (Juno) who was almost half the size of the other chicks on arrival, she was a runt naturally not a smaller than others breed, and it was funny they left her be. She's finally almost the same size after two weeks (little smaller but not nearly as much) and everyone seems to be getting along great!

 

[GaChicklette]

First timer here - here's our crew! We have 2 Easter Eggers (Ocean and Moana), 2 Buff Orpingtons (Rosalina and Jessica Fletcher), 1 Black Australorp (Violet) , 1 Black Sex-Link (Gertrude), and 2 Cochins (Betty and Daisy).

What adorable chicks!!! Love the names too! What is the bottom left one----she has such an adorable face!

I have a Gertrude too!

Awwww....Gertrude----such a pretty girl!!! how old is she?

 

[liz99]

What adorable chicks!!! Love the names too! What is the bottom left one----she has such an adorable face!



Awwww....Gertrude----such a pretty girl!!! how old is she?

Thanks! Bottom left is Jessica Fletcher - she's a Buff Orpington

 

[fangedknight]

So i realized it wasn't the best idea to put the brooder in the basement. It's huge and is going to take some manuvering and teaching the dog not to try and tip it over but it's in the kitchen now. I feel better about it since it's snowmageddon out there

 

[Wavechickens]

So i realized it wasn't the best idea to put the brooder in the basement. It's huge and is going to take some manuvering and teaching the dog not to try and tip it over but it's in the kitchen now. I feel better about it since it's snowmageddon out there

We have ours in the kitchen too. We'll be moving them to a big pen inside the spare room soon as they will outgrown the brooder before I know it, and it's too cold to put them outside yet.

 

[ImportTheBest]

Thanks!  Bottom left is Jessica Fletcher - she's a Buff Orpington  

Roflol, love it!!

 

[ImportTheBest]

Well, we lost another meatie suddenly this morning. So that's 2 meaties and a Salmon Faverolle. Praying that's all, esp from the layers (bad as I feel about the meaties for saying that out loud).

I bought the recommended heating pad for an MHP and managed to get what I'm assuming is a dud (refunded because I emailed amazon), because the temp even on 6 was more like lukewarm at best. So now I have 2 lamps on in the brooder to combat the crazy cold weather we're having right now. Thankfully it's not snowing here but my garage is ice cold. Two lamps are keeping the brooder a good temp and yes, I still check on the lamps and babies during the night.

I took pics of all the babies yesterday, so I will get on the computer as soon as my back allows and upload the pics to show them off!

 

[Blooie]

If you are going by the temperature on the floor under the pad, it won't GET hot under there. MHP works by coming into contact with the chicks' backs, just like a broody hen when she settles directly on top of them. The temperature on the floor of the "cave" is more likely to be around 82 degrees or so. I know, it feels cool, but it's not, really. If the pad is nice and low to the floor they'll pop right in and snuggle with the pad at their backs. Those of us who use this method don't even bother with thermometers.....if the chicks are refusing to go in it's too hot, if they are diving for the back and huddling it's too chilly. So before you send your pad back, make sure it's actually defective. It might be just fine, but you're used to putting your hand under a heat lamp and that's hot everywhere! Good luck!

This is what I mean by the chicks snuggling under it

 

[ImportTheBest]

If you are going by the temperature on the floor under the pad, it won't GET hot under there. MHP works by coming into contact with the chicks' backs, just like a broody hen when she settles directly on top of them. The temperature on the floor of the "cave" is more likely to be around 82 degrees or so. I know, it feels cool, but it's not, really. If the pad is nice and low to the floor they'll pop right in and snuggle with the pad at their backs. Those of us who use this method don't even bother with thermometers.....if the chicks are refusing to go in it's too hot, if they are diving for the back and huddling it's too chilly. So before you send your pad back, make sure it's actually defective. It might be just fine, but you're used to putting your hand under a heat lamp and that's hot everywhere! Good luck! This is what I mean by the chicks snuggling under it

Sadly I'm going by the feel of the pad, not a thermometer. I actually put my hand on it (it had been on with stay on feature on 6 for a few hours) and then had to stop and think to even decide if I was feeling any warmth at all from it! I was so disappointed! Lukewarm is me being very generous, lol! I'm tempted to try and order another but I may just make a safety lid of hardware cloth for the brooder instead. I'm using my regular heating pad right now because I can feel my back going out on me today and it's lowest setting is definitely warmer than the highest on the other one. I can't use this one for the chicks though as it cycles on and off. Quite a bummer as I was excited about the MHP, esp for the layers.