BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[101chickenlover]

i need help on my girls brooder. these are pets and silkies so if they do go outside they will be 4 to 5 months old so i want some thing cut
i started a thread its called the baby chicks i am getting and u just pick a theme to go with it and what will go inside of the brooder.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Do you think there may be an airflow problem even with it being outside? I have chicken wire around it so I can remove sides, I never thought to do it but maybe I should?

I think that protection from drafts is important, but that a good air exchange is critical ... somewhere, I'd published tables for the proper rates, which I could hunt down if you need 'em. But, even w/ it outside? If it's closed off too completely, there'd be no flow.

You could leave 'em up, but cut some plugs that could be pulled and replaced 'til you found the balance you wanted. Or, rather than cuttin' up your panels? Just stick two of 'em on the outside, slid back 'n forth, but w/ a covering of burlap or some other fabric, to work as a baffle against breezes.

One more thought, while I'm lookin' at this again. It'd be *great* if you could find a part of your barn where some sunlight could reach 'em during the warmer part of the day. For my outside brooder? I have a framed glass as the door, which slides in/out ... well ... I'll post a pic ...

​

... couldn't find one of the reflections hittin' the birds, but this one gives you some idea of what i'm drivin' at. and the whole thing rotates like a carousel, allowing me to follow the sun throughout the day, or focus multiple mirrors, which is what I did on cloudier and colder days, which further increased the flow of fresh air (which was baffled around the inner glass panel and dividers ~'-)

As w/ all things I do? Needlessly intricate and complicated. But, the results of all that fresh air and sunshine could be easily seen w/in the feathering of my birds -- actually had to show some folks the order, 'cause they couldn't believe they were that young. But ... there I go tryin' to over-complicate the process for you, as well (my revenge for makin' me wanna brood again ~'-)

 

[Catwmn]

My brooder is four feet by eight feet and divided into two sections. It is in our garage because we raised winter chicks in it. We mounted four heat lamps inside of it and the center wall is removable to make it a large brooder which is what we just did for my six turkeys to stay in it a bit longer. Here are photos.




Front view of brooder with doors closed.



With both doors open.


Left side of brooder


Right side of brooder


My baby chicks in one side of the brooder.


My baby ducklings in the other side.

 

[tick22]

Catwmn, nice set up but I have to wonder, why so high??? Looks like you got something shipped to you and you converted it. I got a crate like yours, 4x12 that I was thinking about cutting down to maybe 8x4 and like your double sections. if I leave it alone, I could have 3 sections, but really don't think I would ever use all three which is why I would cut it down. Oh the height, I was thinking about maybe 18 to 24 inches, 36 inches max. I like your removable walls and think I will do the same. Now I have to rethink the height I want it to be. ****. How high are your water and feeders off the ground???? I say that you had them on some wood. Does your top open up or nailed down. Darn, the more I look at it, the more questions I have. sheesh. sorry. Ok, how about air flow. I have always used a larger box with an open top for my babies before I got the crate. I want something permanent now since we have more chickens. Thanks for any info....

 

[Catwmn]

We built it high like that on purpose. I plan on brooding emu babies in it some day and possibly geese. Plus when the chicks got older we added roosts and such so they could practice flying.
The top is nailed down.
The doors are large enough I can climb in and sit on a stool to play with the babies and socialize with them.
The height makes it much easier to clean as well. I scoop it out with a shovel and add new shavings.

It was actually built from scratch on top of a shipping pallet with plywood and two by fours.

Right now there are six turkey poults that are seven weeks old in it. With birds that big in there we are glad it is tall.

As far as feeders and waterers go we started with them on top of a piece of wood and then as they grew we hung feeders at the appropriate height for them to eat out of and not get shavings in and I placed the waterers on top of metal plant stands at drinking height.

I have plans to add an automatic nipple watering system before we brood in it again that is fed by a five gallon bucket to cut down on the water mess.

We have plans also in the spring to cut more "windows" into the sides and cover them with hardware cloth and keep the cutouts that we can screw back over them for winter months.

 

[tick22]

WOW!!!! emu babies, those babies get big, no wonder it is so tall. I understand on the water mess, why I asked. mmm, automatic nipple watering system, do those work for biddies or just as they get bigger? Thanks for the info, I now need to rethink the height issue. Good luck on the emu's. I wish I had the property to raise those big guys.

 

[Catwmn]

I have read that if you start them on nipples from hatching they will take to them just fine. They are red so they are drawn to them. You may have to show them the first time how it works but after that they run with it.

 

[flyingtnh]

We built it high like that on purpose. I plan on brooding emu babies in it some day and possibly geese.

The guy who we bought our farm from raised emus. He had four 8x8 sheds (one is 16x8 because it has an attached feed room) for nesting pairs. We've converted one to a coop, another to a duck house, and a third to a goat shed when we need to separate the flock (it may become our ram house). The fourth is for storage right now. His brooder was in an unfinished room above the garage. I think he said he had as many as 50 young emus in there at any one time, and he must've been extremely fastidious as it doesn't smell at all. When we toured the house the first time, he showed us a fresh egg - those things are huge - they look like a giant avocado!

 

[Chickens R Us]

Great pictures of brooders, very creative. I will be getting about 25 chicks this spring and needed some ideas on size and construction. Looks like I came to the right place. I really like the dresser brooders, My late grandmother has several old dressers in her house I could use. I can't wait until tomorrow to go over there and check out which one will work for me.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

We built it high like that on purpose. I plan on brooding emu babies in it some day and possibly geese. Plus when the chicks got older we added roosts and such so they could practice flying.
The top is nailed down.
The doors are large enough I can climb in and sit on a stool to play with the babies and socialize with them.
The height makes it much easier to clean as well. I scoop it out with a shovel and add new shavings.

It was actually built from scratch on top of a shipping pallet with plywood and two by fours.

Right now there are six turkey poults that are seven weeks old in it. With birds that big in there we are glad it is tall.

As far as feeders and waterers go we started with them on top of a piece of wood and then as they grew we hung feeders at the appropriate height for them to eat out of and not get shavings in and I placed the waterers on top of metal plant stands at drinking height.

I have plans to add an automatic nipple watering system before we brood in it again that is fed by a five gallon bucket to cut down on the water mess.

We have plans also in the spring to cut more "windows" into the sides and cover them with hardware cloth and keep the cutouts that we can screw back over them for winter months.

Looks like a life-sized version of my ultra-efficiency ... which creates more troubles for me, when it's time to work w/in it (kinda tight fit ~'-)

One thing that you might benefit from is vents between the two chambers, which can later be used by 'em as doors, way down there at beak level ... it helps the chicks 'n ducks (or, keets 'n chicks, in my case) become more accustomed to one another, assuming they'll later share common areas.