Another Mama Heating Pad example

[EarthAlabama]

I am absolutey new to brooding newly-hatched chicks: no 250W heat lamps ("Easy-Bake Oven"?) for me!
Instead, I have built up my own example of the Mama Heating Pad brooder "cave", with grateful thanks to all the good MHP information I have found here on BYC.
I am using the basic Sunbeam XL (12"x24") heating pad (50W, no auto shut-off), about $20 at the Amz place, and a scrap wood / garden wire (2"x3" grid) support frame, with the pad covered by an old towel on the top.
The 12"x24" wood frame is 4" high at the front, sloping down to a solid 2.5" (inside ht) back wall. The towel hangs down about 1" over the front edge, to form a bit of awning for better heat retention.
Again, after tons of research here on BYC re: preferred bedding for new chicks, I am planning to put down a layer of large-flake pine wood shavings (TSC), covered by a few layers of paper toweling for the first few days, to give the new chicks a slightly smoother surface upon which to scramble around on and see / peck at their starter crumbles food at first.
I plan to remove the paper towels after a few days, letting the chicks scratch around thru the pine shavings bedding for the remainder of the brood period.
As always, I am totally open to suggestions and recommendations.
Thanks!

 

[aart]

I avoid soiling the pad and having to use copious tape to cover folds by using a piece of plastic then cardboard on top of pad. Just change out the cardboard as needed.
Pics here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.67729/

 

[rosemarythyme]

Probably too late to change it, but the heating pad should be on the underside of that grid. Young chicks want to be able to press against it safely for heat, and as others noted pressing against the wire could trap wing tips or heads.

Or Glad Press N Seal it very snugly so there are no gaps for them to get things caught in.

My set up is a little funky (and definitely doesn't hold 10) but allows young chicks to press underneath, and then for them to sit on top of it when they're older and need less heat.

 

[jreardon1918]

That is a sturdy MHP. And for my next attempt I can see how I could incorporate a more solid frame and some of the excellent suggestions you have received.

• The chicks will want to touch the surface of the MHP. Bottom and top.
• Multiple egress options are important to prevent getting trapped.
• Chicks will find a way to get caught in very small openings.

Here are a few pictures of my last MHP. I used a a 10" x 14" cooling rack slightly bent to give multiple heights. I just wrapped the heating pad around the rack to allow heat on both sides. The little blocks of wood help raise the MHP as they grow. This MHP does little to raise the temperature more than an inch away from the surface. The thermometer shown I used only to confirm for me, that the surface of the MHP was similar to the body temp of a real life Momma hen. The cover got a bit nasty. Poop happens. After using a setup like this for three broods, I did have to throw out the heating pad. I also duck tape an old towel to it in the picture in the brooder. Next year when I get some new chicks I will buy a new heating pad. Good luck.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Day old shipped baby Chicks need to be kept 95-100 degrees minimum


The manufacturers of the brooder plates don't even recommend their use in ambient temps below 50 degrees. Day old chicks need more heat than this sorry

I don't know what to tell you, I brooded a total of 56 chicks outside last year with these heating pads and had no issues

 

[aart]

There's only one egress point, that can be a problem.
How many chicks will you have under there?
I'd beware of the smaller mesh openings, maybe even the larger ones, they can push their head up in there and get stuck(speaking from experience).
Got a plan to adjust the height?

 

[EarthAlabama]

Thanks to all for helpful comments - I am planning some small mods to address deficiencies in my MHP example:
- adding threaded-rod extension legs at each corner of the MHP frame, to be able raise the frame's height as needed as the chicks grow
- blocking out the two rear inside frame corners with small diagonal wood panels, to help reduce a trapping / congestion / suffocation risk in those corners
- lining the underside of the MHP wire grid with a piece of thin fabric (cut-up pillow case, bed sheet, etc.) to keep the chicks from poking their heads up thru / getting stuck in / the grid, while still being able to "snuggle up" their backs against the warm heating pad underside.
I'll try to send along some more pics of the changes -

 

[fuzzi]

I like it @EarthAlabama !

I used vinyl coated fence pieces, the Sunbeam heating pad, small bungees:

The fencing could be bent higher as the chicks grew.

Then I covered it with a pillowcase. The case drooped so I used binder clips and some zip-ties to keep it against the heating pad.

I used it in an outside brooder in March and then again in mid-April with my second batch of day-old chicks. The only opening was the front, no issues.

 

[aart]

Is an anyone able to post a link to the heating pad? I cannot for the life of me find it without the shut off

Search google for this one:

Sunbeam XL Heating Pad for Back, Neck, and Shoulder Pain Relief with Auto Shut Off and 6 Heat Settings, Extra Large 12 x 24",​

 

[rosemarythyme]

The manufacturers of the brooder plates don't even recommend their use in ambient temps below 50 degrees. Day old chicks need more heat than this sorry

Heating pad is not the same as heat plate and can operate 30 degrees or lower than the average heating plate.

I get that you prefer your set up and I'm sure it works well, but a lot of people on here successfully use plates and pads and if that's what someone wants to do, providing them with info on how to set it up successfully is more helpful than telling them that you wouldn't use it.