- Aug 16, 2014
- 38
- 5
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Could anyone give me some ideas on homemade brooders? My chicks should be hatching soon and I don't have a brooder. Please help!
Homemade Brooders
- Thread starter Toots Birds
- Start date
In case you didn't see it, this is under the "Coops" tab:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-chicken-brooder-designs-pictures
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-chicken-brooder-designs-pictures
- Thread starter
- #3
- Aug 16, 2014
- 38
- 5
- 24
That was very helpful! Thank you. Do you have any favorites out of that list?
I use a room, about 20 sq ft, in my coop with chicken wire walls, but it is a large coop. I've only used it once for chicks because they are generally raised by broodies here. I did brood 25 chicks in a spare bedroom one spring, in a couple of cardboard appliance boxes taped together, with a chair back for the heat lamp. Never again; no more dust, dander and poop dust in my house.
It depends so much on your situation. If you don't already have a flock, I would just brood them right in the coop they will live in. (I definitely favor brooding outdoors.) Keep in mind that by the time they are 4 weeks old, they should have about 3 sq ft per chick.
Once you settle on size and location, and figure out how to manage the heat source safely, it's just a matter of scratcing up whatever materials you can and putting it together.
Here are a couple of setups that might be useful to you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/840130/new-chicks-in-with-the-chickens/0_20#post_12410443
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/735392/redneck-fungshui-brooding-17-degree-temperatures/0_20
It depends so much on your situation. If you don't already have a flock, I would just brood them right in the coop they will live in. (I definitely favor brooding outdoors.) Keep in mind that by the time they are 4 weeks old, they should have about 3 sq ft per chick.
Once you settle on size and location, and figure out how to manage the heat source safely, it's just a matter of scratcing up whatever materials you can and putting it together.
Here are a couple of setups that might be useful to you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/840130/new-chicks-in-with-the-chickens/0_20#post_12410443
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/735392/redneck-fungshui-brooding-17-degree-temperatures/0_20
Last edited:
I brood in rubbermaid containers, just small numbers of chicks, moving up to water troughs that I got for ponds in my deck. I put wire over the top when the chicks get big enough to jump out.
- Thread starter
- #6
- Aug 16, 2014
- 38
- 5
- 24
Now I am definitely not as worried about when the chicks hatch!
P.S. Dear Judy,
That second link was very useful!
P.S. Dear Judy,
That second link was very useful!
Quick and easy setup and tear down. When finished, I pull the trailer out to the field and sweep it out. Done.
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