Help, my chicks don’t go back to the mama heating pad when they’re cold.

[Jester57]

I decided I was going to brood my chicks in the 10’ x 20’ enclosed chicken run, so I built a 2’ x 4’ brooder box (open on 2 sides) and a mama heating pad assembly. We got chicks via mail yesterday, which went right into the box. Yesterday, it was about 73 outside and 80 in the run and everything was great. It was actually so warm inside the run I ran out and bought another fan (the run is enclosed in greenhouse plastic, so when the sun is out, it’s much warmer inside than out).

My problems began when the temps started dropping. The adult chickens had already gone in to roost when I went out to check on the chicks, but I found all 4 of them in a corner of the brooder completely away from their heating cave and chirping like they were very cold. I moved all of them to the mama pad, the chirping stopped, but an hour later I went out to check and one of them was in that same corner, chirping her little heart out. It all stopped when I put her back, and they didn’t come out again until this morning.

This morning though, all 4 of them were in a different corner, cold, and very vocally letting me know about it. They all, once again, immediately quit cheeping once they were inside the mama pad.

They’ve done this a couple of times so far, always calming down once under the pad, but persistently standing out in the colder air (it’s 43 degrees today, much colder than yesterday) when they get out from under. I did see one of them voluntarily return to the pad by herself, so there’s hope. So far, I put a little space heater by the cage to warm up the air inside and curtained off about 1/2 of the box so they can’t wander as far.

Is there anything I can do to encourage them to return to the mama pad? I checked, and the temp is perfectly fine for them, they all survived the night and didn’t leave until it was light again. Are they waiting for mama to push them back under her when they cheep or is there something else I’m missing? They’ve been eating and drinking normally and seem pretty healthy. They just can’t figure out the concept of coming in from the cold. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[sourland]

Restrict the size of the brooder until they start going to the heating pad on their own.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Someone just posted a video yesterday explaining why you need to use a heat lamp with mail order chicks for a week or so. And I personally will not use a heat plate as long as I brood in the coop. It gets too dark for the chicks to see where to go.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I agree that it's the issue of light. I watched this same thing with a batch of chicks where they just flipped out when I cut the light and tried to get as high and close to natural light as they could (a window.) I know you're not supposed to, but as an experiment I put a super low watt night light in the brooder the next night and they all settled down on the mommy hut (heating pad over wire frame.) SO my conclusion is to either move the mommy itself to the lighter corner they are preferring OR to do the nightlight just for the first few weeks until they're going to the top of the MH, not the dark interior. The suggestion to use a heat lamp, well, it's definitely not my favorite idea to provide heat with big time light. Ceramic type heat lamps with no light I will use in addition to MH if I'm brooding in super winter temps.

 

[Blooie]

Restrict the size of the brooder until they start going to the heating pad on their own.

I agree with this. And I’m wondering if your pad isn’t set to a temperature that’s driving them out instead of them being more comfortable. In the temps you’re talking, you shouldn’t need the heating pad on high, if that’s where it’s set. Photos of your setup would be very helpful here. The “cave” itself may be too low. Usually reports of chicks leaving MHP at night and chilling as they huddle has turned out to be one of those two factors….heat too high or pad too low. They get hot, leave the cave, and huddle.

In 8 years of brooding chicks with MHP, I have never provided any type of light for them. Ever. Yes, I know chicks freak out when a light is suddenly turned off, but sunset isn’t like flipping a switch, plunging them into sudden darkness. The first night or two when it’s almost dark I put any strays under and hold my hand in front. I never have to do it again.

I agree that it's the issue of light. I watched this same thing with a batch of chicks where they just flipped out when I cut the light and tried to get as high and close to natural light as they could (a window.) I know you're not supposed to, but as an experiment I put a super low watt night light in the brooder the next night and they all settled down on the mommy hut (heating pad over wire frame.) SO my conclusion is to either move the mommy itself to the lighter corner they are preferring OR to do the nightlight just for the first few weeks until they're going to the top of the MH, not the dark interior. The suggestion to use a heat lamp, well, it's definitely not my favorite idea to provide heat with big time light. Ceramic type heat lamps with no light I will use in addition to MH if I'm brooding in super winter temps.

This is another good point. If, for some known-only-to-the-chicks-themselves reason they are preferring one corner, you definitely might try moving the pad to that spot, if your cords will reach safely.

Keep us posted.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

wondering if your pad isn’t set to a temperature that’s driving them out instead of them being more comfortable.

Really good point. I must sound like a real nutbar with all of the Chick conversations I've had over the years, "Really, you guys are hot, I think it's so comfy in there, are you sure you want it turned down to medium? Well okay... " And recently the only chick I had that actually wanted MH on high, that was how I knew she was sick. I caught it just in time (Coccidiosis.) When they're healthy, they don't want to be hot.

 

[Blooie]

Really good point. I must sound like a real nutbar with all of the Chick conversations I've had over the years, "Really, you guys are hot, I think it's so comfy in there, are you sure you want it turned down to medium? Well okay... " And recently the only chick I had that actually wanted MH on high, that was how I knew she was sick. I caught it just in time (Coccidiosis.) When they're healthy, they don't want to be hot.

Problem is that ”recommended” heat requirements for chicks and actual requirements aren’t even close to each other. All anyone has to do is spend a single hour watching broody hens with their chicks to clearly see that! Chicks running through snow patches are perfectly normal when she’s raising them but boy, suggest raising them exactly the same way and the resulting outrage has actually scared me sometimes! She doesn’t have night lights under her wings. She doesn't let them eat 24/7. She doesn’t check charts and lower her body temperature by 5 degrees a week. She doesn't warm their entire environment….she just warms the chicks as they duck under her for a few minutes or for the night. She does go round up stragglers as the sun goes down, though, just like we’re talking about here. And chicks don’t “live” under her 24/7. In fact, they spend very little time under her, and she’s fine with that. They sit on top of her and she’s fine with that too, until she wants a long luxurious dust bath or a little gossip around the water pan.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

but boy, suggest raising them exactly the same way and the resulting outrage has actually scared me sometimes!

Oh believe me I concur. BYC people seem to actually have more open-minded reactions than the Oregon only forum I'm "on." I get completely (and rudely,) attacked when I suggest alternatives to blazing red heat lamps. It's sad to me, when I started out (okay this is going to sound weird,) the heat was so high my mind kept picturing and smelling literally cooking alive chickens. That's why when I found the Mommy Hut solution thanks to you, I was ALL IN. I just knew it was best. But people will never let go of the idea that "they can get away from heat if they want to," so all you have to do is allow enough room to have different "zones." Some of the same people show pics of fish tank brooders. Okay I'm sorry, you can't get away from heat when you're trapped in a glass cage.... Sigh.

 

[Jester57]

I agree with this. And I’m wondering if your pad isn’t set to a temperature that’s driving them out instead of them being more comfortable. In the temps you’re talking, you shouldn’t need the heating pad on high, if that’s where it’s set. Photos of your setup would be very helpful here. The “cave” itself may be too low. Usually reports of chicks leaving MHP at night and chilling as they huddle has turned out to be one of those two factors….heat too high or pad too low. They get hot, leave the cave, and huddle.

In 8 years of brooding chicks with MHP, I have never provided any type of light for them. Ever. Yes, I know chicks freak out when a light is suddenly turned off, but sunset isn’t like flipping a switch, plunging them into sudden darkness. The first night or two when it’s almost dark I put any strays under and hold my hand in front. I never have to do it again.



This is another good point. If, for some known-only-to-the-chicks-themselves reason they are preferring one corner, you definitely might try moving the pad to that spot, if your cords will reach safely.

Keep us posted.

Thanks for your advice. I do have the pad on “high”, which measured 95 degrees when checked, but that was only air temp. I’ll turn it down to medium.

I’ll be attaching photos later, but the height of the mama cave is all the way from standing up and not touching the roof to touching the floor. That said, they do tend to hang out at the cave entry.

I don’t think light is the issue, as they’re doing it in the middle of the day. I think the only reason they stayed in there all last night was it was completely dark outside. I do recognize, though, that light is an important factor. I use a light to draw my adult girls back into the coop at night.

 

[Blooie]

Glad you turned it down. The average temperature under the cave, measured at the floor, is between 82.5 and 86 degrees so I think you may have solved your main issue. 95 degrees is way too warm under there when you factor in how closely they lay together and their shared body warmth. It may take the Fussy Four a day to be willing to start using it again. They don’t trust it to be comfy now. Keep trying! You’ve got this!