CHEAP chick brooder

[azygous]

Thanks for the compliment! I'm too busy with my chickens to write a book!

I retired the grow-window brooder, and this year I went with an even better idea! I got new chicks four weeks ago and brooded them right in the middle of the run under a heating pad/cave system. It worked out so well, and these chicks are so tame and advanced in just about every way possible, even putting themselves into their coop every night on their own, I'll never go back to the confined brooder with a heat lamp ever again.

 

[shortlid]

Seems like a trend I got a HUGE patio set box for Free form Home Depot. Greta for my six New Hampshire reds and Dominiques even at 4 weeks

 

[That other guy]

Do you have pics of that brooder/cave set up Azygous? Id love to see it XD... And steal it for our second generation of chicks when we get there

 

[CaseyV]

Do you have pics of that brooder/cave set up Azygous? Id love to see it XD... And steal it for our second generation of chicks when we get there

X2!

 

[lazy gardener]

Go to the Mama Heating Pad Cave thread set up by Blooie. Lots of good ideas there.

 

[nursesusanb]

Lowes only had smaller wardrobe boxes so I put two together.

 

[nursesusanb]

It was cheap and disposable.

 

[azygous]

Here's the heating pad brooder cave I came up with, using a camp pad for the frame since I wanted something that would insulate, and dowels to hold the pad. I think all the materials ran around $7, not including the heating pad, since you can use that for yourself after the chicks are done with it.





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Sorry about that. The download had to be done twice and these photos ended up way down in Brazil. This is what the dowel supports look like. Drill teensy holes and push the dowels through. They won't slip out if the holes are much smaller than the dowels. I drilled a set of holes to hold the pad and rack level at four inches high in addition to the position pictured here. I used a steel rack instead of this deer netting.

And I didn't use the higher position for the pad until the chicks were almost done with it. The heating pad remained three or four inches above the chicks for the first three weeks, but then they were outdoors in an average of 40 degrees at night. You can adjust the distance between the floor and the bottom of the pad by putting padding on the floor. The pad was touching the chicks backs during the first week.

A very important thing to remember is to allow for the heating pad to drape down vertically in the back of the cave so the chicks can snuggle directly against it. A towel drapes over the entire pad, creating a flap over the entrance to keep the heat in. At night I put a folded wool blanket over the top. If you're indoors, you wouldn't need all that extra covering on top.

 

[calebpayne70]

Does anyone have any ideas for a chick brooder to hold around 150 chicks

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Does anyone have any ideas for a chick brooder to hold around 150 chicks

How long do you need to house them in the brooder and will they be layer chicks or meat birds - the size needed will depend on those two factors and that will factor into reasonable recommendations.