Making a Temperature Controlled Brooder

Ridgerunner said:

That is a nice post. I’m sure some people will find it helpful.

The position of the probe is important. The closer it is to the heat source, the more often it will cycle so you are keeping that area closer to the target temperature. The further away from the heat source it is, the less often it will cycle so it will get warmer near the heat source. It’s going to depend on how big the brooder is, how well it is ventilated, the materialist is made of for insulation values, and who knows what other factors for what is going on further away from the probe. It could get fairly cool further away or stay pretty toasty.

I find a variety of temperatures in there to be a good thing. Just like some people in a room will be too warm and some too cool, some chicks like it a bit warmer or cooler than others. I find by keeping one are warm enough and having cooler areas they can go to if they desire they do a great job of self-regulating.

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lazy gardener said:

Building on what RR said, I wonder if you would be better off dividing the box into 2 zones: one with the heat lamp to keep your set temp, and the second area, perhaps with a divider: which would be unheated, and where you could keep the food and water. If you want to mimic the system that is used by a broody, the chicks have a toasty warm area to warm up, and then the rest of their world is what ever the outside temperature is. Just my opinion, but, while it provides the perfect controlled environment, similar to an incubator... once the chicks have hatched, they need to be getting on with the business of acclimating to the temperature changes they will experience in the outside world.

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