Chick brooder ideas?

[CrazyForMyPeeps802]

For that many chicks, I'd look into maybe grabbing 2 grocery store produce boxes (like the ones for melons and pumpkins) as brooders. Should cost you next to nothing and you'll need the space.

That would be a great idea if I had the room for them! I'll definitely keep them in mind for an outdoor brooder setup.

I'm not actually sure how many chicks I'll end up with as I haven't even started incubating the eggs yet. I'm just trying to get a brooder idea before they hatch so I'll have everything ready to go!

They'll also probably only be inside for 2 weeks but definitely no longer then 3 weeks before they'd be moved outside to the coop with heat!

Thanks for the idea

 

[CrazyForMyPeeps802]

$5 Brooder is ready to go

• arizona_chicken_noob
• Oct 12, 2023
• brooder cheap

Save up or scrounge some cardboard boxes ($0). One packet of zip ties and one roll of paper...

I use cardboard boxes ziptied together indoors.

Not a bad idea at all! And totally customizable to the space/number of chicks!
I'll definitely consider this an option!

Thank you

 

[Major_in_MS]

In a pinch once, many years ago, I used the bathtub in the spare/guest bathroom.

 

[CrazyForMyPeeps802]

In a pinch once, many years ago, I used the bathtub in the spare/guest bathroom.

I thought of this but my Mom immediately shut that idea down. I can't really blame her though after my whole ducklings in the house for 4 weeks a few years back when I got them before spring!

 

[NatJ]

I'm looking for ideas that will hold say 20 bantams and 12 large fowl chicks. So roughly 30 to 34 chicks for about 3 to 4 week's.

Rough calculation: 34 chicks, 4 weeks, one square foot per chick...

I'm thinking a brooder about 5 by 7 feet (=35 square feet) for that many chicks to that age, and bigger if you go longer. 4x8 feet is 32 square feet, probably also okay.

I'm planning on using a heat lamp as the heat source.

If you use a brooder 5x7 feet (or something similar), you can put the heat lamp near one corner, and the other corner will probably stay cool enough.

If you use a heat lamp in a small brooder, it is easy to overheat the entire brooder, and hard to provide a cool space. Since you said "indoors," that makes it even easier to overheat them with a heat lamp, and harder to provide enough cool space for them to get away from the heat.

If you can manage a very large brooder (like what I just mentioned), it makes many things much easier (easy to provide a warm area and a cool area so chicks can self-regulate their temperature by moving around, easier to deal with the amount of droppings, un-crowded chicks are less likely to fight or pick each other, and so forth.)

 

[CrazyForMyPeeps802]

Rough calculation: 34 chicks, 4 weeks, one square foot per chick...

I'm thinking a brooder about 5 by 7 feet (=35 square feet) for that many chicks to that age, and bigger if you go longer. 4x8 feet is 32 square feet, probably also okay.


If you use a brooder 5x7 feet (or something similar), you can put the heat lamp near one corner, and the other corner will probably stay cool enough.

If you use a heat lamp in a small brooder, it is easy to overheat the entire brooder, and hard to provide a cool space. Since you said "indoors," that makes it even easier to overheat them with a heat lamp, and harder to provide enough cool space for them to get away from the heat.

If you can manage a very large brooder (like what I just mentioned), it makes many things much easier (easy to provide a warm area and a cool area so chicks can self-regulate their temperature by moving around, easier to deal with the amount of droppings, un-crowded chicks are less likely to fight or pick each other, and so forth.)

Thank you so much for the dimensions and information! I live in a very small house so figuring out this brooder has been a bit difficult. I would love to be able to just brood them outdoors with adequate heat sources. But I don't believe the weather will allow that to happen when I'm planning on hatching these guys out. And I'd feel much more comfortable having them indoors for a few weeks. I'll definitely be providing them with the largest brooder I can provide with the space I have in my home if they outgrow it to fast I'll just have to move them outside into their coop with heat sooner!
I gave very rough figures when I made this post I may only have 15 or 20 chicks maybe even less I'm quite unsure.

I'm not actually sure how many chicks I'll end up with as I haven't even started incubating the eggs yet. I'm just trying to get a brooder idea before they hatch so I'll have everything ready to go!

They'll also probably only be inside for 2 weeks but definitely no longer then 3 weeks before they'd be moved outside to the coop with heat!


Thanks again

 

[Major_in_MS]

I would love to be able to just brood them outdoors with adequate heat sources. But I don't believe the weather will allow that to happen when I'm planning on hatching these guys out.

If you have a covered area outside, please consider building an 'Ohio Brooder' like the one in this article. It is a design from an 'Ohio Experiment Station' bulletin from 1942. This guy does a really good job on his site explaining the brooder and showing how to build it so I won't go into that here. It is easy to build and works well. I brooded day old chicks in below freezing weather outdoors in January this year and they are all doing fine. I currently have chicks under it again.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you so much for the dimensions and information! I live in a very small house so figuring out this brooder has been a bit difficult. I would love to be able to just brood them outdoors with adequate heat sources. But I don't believe the weather will allow that to happen when I'm planning on hatching these guys out. And I'd feel much more comfortable having them indoors for a few weeks. I'll definitely be providing them with the largest brooder I can provide with the space I have in my home if they outgrow it to fast I'll just have to move them outside into their coop with heat sooner!
I gave very rough figures when I made this post I may only have 15 or 20 chicks maybe even less I'm quite unsure.

I'm not actually sure how many chicks I'll end up with as I haven't even started incubating the eggs yet. I'm just trying to get a brooder idea before they hatch so I'll have everything ready to go!

They'll also probably only be inside for 2 weeks but definitely no longer then 3 weeks before they'd be moved outside to the coop with heat!


Thanks again

Planning ahead is always good It means you have some uncertainty (how many actual chicks, what weather), but it avoids many kinds of problems!

Since you are still at the planning stage, maybe set up a heat lamp in the coop and measure what temperatures you actually get out there. You might be pleasantly surprised.

You might be able to keep the chicks inside the house for just a few days to reassure yourself that they can eat, drink, walk, etc, and then move them out when they are still very young. That would mean you don't need as much brooder space indoors, maybe 1/2 square foot per chick in the first week or so.

 

[CrazyForMyPeeps802]

If you have a covered area outside, please consider building an 'Ohio Brooder' like the one in this article. It is a design from an 'Ohio Experiment Station' bulletin from 1942. This guy does a really good job on his site explaining the brooder and showing how to build it so I won't go into that here. It is easy to build and works well. I brooded day old chicks in below freezing weather outdoors in January this year and they are all doing fine. I currently have chicks under it again.

Thank you! I'll definitely look more into this.

 

[CrazyForMyPeeps802]

Planning ahead is always good It means you have some uncertainty (how many actual chicks, what weather), but it avoids many kinds of problems!

Since you are still at the planning stage, maybe set up a heat lamp in the coop and measure what temperatures you actually get out there. You might be pleasantly surprised.

You might be able to keep the chicks inside the house for just a few days to reassure yourself that they can eat, drink, walk, etc, and then move them out when they are still very young. That would mean you don't need as much brooder space indoors, maybe 1/2 square foot per chick in the first week or so.

I've been taught to always plan ahead when possible! This will be my first time brooding bantams. I've waited a very long time for these little ones! I'll be getting 24 silkie hatching eggs from a locale breeder with the possibility of some sizzles (my favorites) and I'll be setting roughly a dozen of my own barn yard mix eggs! That's were the unknown number of chicks comes from. This is also my first time hatching eggs with an incubator! So lots of research and being prepared for everything ahead of time is helping me worry less.

I'll definitely have to see what the temperature in the coop is with a heat lamp going! It'll be a few weeks before I can move the current residents out and into the other coop. But after they're out I'll set it up and see. I'd much prefer the option of raising them in the coop with heat if its possible!

If everything goes to plan I'll be hatching these chicks late April. Which would probably mean we'd still have a few nights below freezing. I've raised chicks in this coop last year and they did great but it wasn't until mid May.

Thanks for all your help!

And thanks BYC for providing a space for a worried chicken Mama to seek help from others