best brooders tips, and tricks..

we use a plastic tote, we chose a long one rather than deep. we clamped the light right to the side and that way they can get under it if cold or away if too warm, we have 14 chicks in ours and have had good luck so far. i got a clamp light like you would get from a hardware store and put a flood light bulb in it , I have a heat lamp, but was told it would be too hot to use where my chicks are. hope this helps

I made some brooders out of plastic totes and really like them. I used a utility knife to cut a big rectangle out of the top of the tote and then I ziptied a piece of plastic coated chicken wire to it. I did this because I wanted it to have a top that would allow for good airflow (and easy viewing). I just hang or clamp my heat lamp above it.

These "brooders"  are big enough so that they also work great for transporting full grown chickens.

My brooder is an XL plastic dog crate that was re-homed to me several years ago. I have active young cats so this is an excellent setup for me - they can't get at the chicks. I used horse stall pellets most recently but switched back to pine shavings because I didn't like them. Mostly it's personal preference/whatever's cheap. If I could find a way to use sand without turning my bedroom into a beach, I would use sand with StallDry or another absorbent.

 

ETA: For a lamp, I also use the clamp shop lamp. I use incandescent bulbs, the kind you get at the dollar store or WalMart, and change the intensity as the chicks get older so I don't have to move the lamp.

I bought a folding dog kennel, safety pinned clear plastic to the mesh sides, and made a small slit in the top to pull the heat lamp cord through, they have x-large, large and medium ones at Wal-mart.
It made out of the same stuff as tents!

I'm a novice too and still learning. We are about to get our second batch of chicks in a couple weeks. We had a great experience the first time around. We bought a brooder kit from my pet chicken.com. $69 I think. You could buy the components for less I imagine, but it's really easy and convenient and I figured the first time around why not make it easy on myself.

 

http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Baby-Chick-Supplies/Baby-Chick-Starter-Kit-MPC-Exclusive-p761.aspx

 

It includes everything you need to get started. Heat lamp with bulb, cardboard sides, shavings, organic feed, 2 waterers, 1 feeder and tips for raising your chicks.

 

We just put a tarp down on the guest bathroom floor, put up the cardboard walls and threw in the shavings. It can go anywhere there's not a draft though. There's no floor in the kit. The first few days they suggest you put paper towels over the shavings till they learn that they aren't food. We put a ladder up with one set of legs inside the enclosure over the whole set-up so we could move the light (it clamps on) up or down, side to side. Babies help regulate their own temp by moving closer or farther from the heat source. Watching their behavior lets you know if they might need it warmer or colder. If they're all huddling under the light they probably need it moved a little closer. If they're staying as far away as possible it may be too hot and you need to move the light up a bit. You can also put a thermometer in to give you an idea of the temps.

 

The ladder worked great for when they got a bit older and used it as roosts and a play structure. They need stimulus so they don't get bored and start picking on one another. That can also happen if they get too crowded. Which is another thing I really like about this kit. It's expandable. You can use just a few of the cardboard sides to make it pretty small for when they're tiny and not needing much room. Of course depends on how many chicks you're getting. Then you add sides to keep making it bigger as they grow. The cardboard is really not reusable though. Once they are flying and jumping and perching on the edges (as mine did anyway) it gets pretty pooped on. So we had to toss it.

 

We came up with another solution recently though that I think we'll use for our new chicks. One of our girls had an eye injury and had to be isolated. We put her in the shower in that same guest bathroom. We securely taped a tarp in the bottom and a bit up the sides of the stall then put down the shavings. Put her in and shut the door. Worked like a charm. We'll be using all the other parts from our original chick kit though. Including putting the ladder in the shower.

 

Good luck! an Have FUN!

Here is what my daughter and I made. It only took about an hour and a half. We will be able to reuse it

for future chick purchases.

 

 

 

 

The round hole on the right is about .5" larger than the diameter of the lamp.  The hole on the left is for

ventilation. I am think about cutting it down the middle, and putting in hinges. That way I don't have to

move the lamp each time.

 

I would not trust the Clamps on those light. Especially when those clamps are holding a hot object that may

start a fire. JMHO...