CHEAP chick brooder

[azygous]

What is that "bar" that's sitting across the top? Is it rigid enough to hang your water bottle from? That would help do away with soggy wood shavings in their water.

If you don't mind a suggestion, you can go to appliance stores and pick up free TV or microwave boxes, bring them home and create brooders from them. Sometimes I put two together with a pass-through for a two-room condo. I have even cut out windows and covered them with plastic. You can get very creative with cardboard boxes.

Another tip: for super-friendly and tame chicks, place your brooder on a table and access it from a window cut into the side. The chicks are far less spooked by being handled that way as opposed to hands swooping down on them from above like a hawk, and scaring them out of their tiny wits.

But here is my crowning achievement. A brooder made from my plant grow-window in my garage. These chicks grow up with a large view of the world and are the least afraid of any chicks I've ever raised.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

What is that "bar" that's sitting across the top? Is it rigid enough to hang your water bottle from? That would help do away with soggy wood shavings in their water.

Another tip: for super-friendly and tame chicks, place your brooder on a table and access it from a window cut into the side. The chicks are far less spooked by being handled that way as opposed to hands swooping down on them from above like a hawk, and scaring them out of their tiny wits.

I have nipple waterers hung from a 1"x1" that I cut a notch in the box to accommodate. And then there's a 2"x1" running low across the brooder as a training perch.

I love the window idea! I bet that would help them be less spooked.

 

[azygous]

Absolutely! They grow up in a window with the whole world going by outdoors, me coming and going, deer, other chickens, neighbors, wild turkeys, etc. But mostly, they see the sky from the very beginning, and their world isn't confined to just four square feet of brooder box. Nothing scares these guys that shouldn't.

The best thing is I get all the dust and mess out of the house.

 

[10Grandchicks]

I started my flock last July with chicks, which are now laying hens. What inclines a hen to set on her eggs? I have 8 and not one of them has tried to set. I would like to raise a few chicks but would rather Mom incubates them. Have any suggestions?

They live in a large 40+ year old chick house with 28 nesting boxes. Of course, they all use the same few. I keep a light on 24/7 but it's not a bright light. I also have a rooster. I need some pointers about hatching chicks the natural way.



This is Ginger and Fred.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

I started my flock last July with chicks, which are now laying hens. What inclines a hen to set on her eggs? I have 8 and not one of them has tried to set. I would like to raise a few chicks but would rather Mom incubates them. Have any suggestions?

They live in a large 40+ year old chick house with 28 nesting boxes. Of course, they all use the same few. I keep a light on 24/7 but it's not a bright light. I also have a rooster. I need some pointers about hatching chicks the natural way.

It's hard to make a hen go broody, but generally, leaving eggs in the nest should/may trigger the urge. You can leave fake eggs or golf balls in the nest if you don't want to waste eggs. If you search the forum, there are lots of posts on broody hens and hatching.

 

[smitty750]

Standard heat lamp from agway

 

[FreddyC]

Or in the summer or fall you can get a water melon or pumpkin display box from your local grocery store before they throw them away. They are Giant!

 

[Diannastarr]

 

[Diannastarr]

You can also try and snag a pumpkin box from the grocery store. They're free, STURDY, and LARGE (3'x4').

 

[TRMFAM]

Both are GREAT ideas! Thank you for sharing...

AZYGOUS, please go ahead and write a book...you have the BEST posts and I pay special attention to them.