What We Learned About The Brooder

Our brooder adventure had its ups and downs. For one thing, we had absolutely no experience with any type of poultry, nor did we know that such little animals could be such a big job. (This article is written by my 6th grader about her experiences with the 4-H Chick Chain!)


Containers

Good Containers

• Large livestock feed trough
• Sturdy plastic container with tall sides
• Sturdy cardboard box with tall sides
• Dog crate with holes small enough that chicks cannot fit through

Not-So-Good Containers

• Flimsy plastic container with short sides
• Flimsy cardboard box with short sides
• Brooder Panels*

Chicks generally need about 1 to 2 square feet of space to be comfortable and happy.

Note – Brooder must grow with chicks.

For our chicks, a sturdy plastic container worked for the first week. After that, we used border panels, and we really wish we hadn’t.

*We used the brooder panels for our chicks and they did not work. The sides were too short, and the chicks were escaping. We tried to solve this problem by putting chicken wire around the panels to make the sides a little taller, but that didn’t work. We then tried putting bird netting over the top, but they still found ways to get out of the brooder. We wish we had known this before we bought these.

Heat Plate vs. Heat Lamp

Heat Plate

Pros

• Easier for chicks to move away from when they are too hot
• Easier to set up
• Easy to keep an even temperature under the plate

Cons

• Must clean every day unless covered
• Must have a separate light source
• Cannot use an infrared light to help prevent the chicks from pecking each other

Heat Lamp

Pros

• Do not have to clean
• Doubles as a light source
• Can use an infrared bulb to help prevent the chicks from pecking each other

Cons

• Can be harder for chicks to move away from when they are too hot
• Can be hard to set up
• Can be hard to keep an even temperature in the brooder

After doing some research, we decided to use a heat plate for our chicks. The cleaning was annoying, but it was very easy to set up. All we had to do was attach the legs, plug it in, and set it in the brooder. The type we used had three different size settings, so that we could adjust the height as the chicks grew.

Bedding

Good Bedding

• Pine shavings
• Shredded newspaper
• Straw

Bedding must be kept clean and dry at all times, so scoop out clumps of wet bedding every so often.

After talking to some friends and doing some research, we chose to use pine shavings for the bedding of our brooder. Plus, they smelled great.

Water

Chicks must have access to clean water at all times. Some chicks find it very amusing to jump into the water and dirty it, so be sure to replace the bedding under and around the waterer when the chicks have been having too much fun playing in the waterer.

Nipple Waterer vs. Standard Waterer

Nipple Waterer

Pros

• Easy to keep clean because chicks cannot play in the water.
• Can be put on the wall, on a block, or even on a heat plate for easy access.
• Harder for chicks to drown

Cons

• Can be hard for chicks to learn how to use, or hard to train the chicks how to use it
• Can sometimes be hard to mount to a wall
• Top of waterers can become dusty quickly, or dirtied by chicks perching on them.

Standard Waterer

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Depending on the waterer, can sometimes be harder for chicks to perch on
• Depending on the waterer, the tops do not often become dusty
• Can easily be set anywhere in the brooder

Cons

• Chicks can play in the water, dirty it, splash around in it, and maybe even knock over the waterer
• Easier for chicks to drown

For the first week, we used a standard waterer. After that, we switched to a nipple waterer. It took some time to train the chicks to use it, but we really liked not having to clean it all the time.

Food

Food is a very important part of a brooder. All chicks should start out on a starter or starter/grower diet until they are around six or twenty weeks old, depending on which feed. Be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions when feeding the chicks. Feeders will need to be cleaned often. Our chicks were absolutely obsessed with the feeder, and would jump into it and dirty it all the time. While this can be very annoying, having clean food is the key to having happy, healthy chicks.

Common Brooder Problems

Too Crowded

Too crowded brooders are a very common brooder problem. Overcrowding causes stress on chicks. Our brooder was overcrowded for the first week, and the chicks were making a ton of noise. We then expanded the brooder, and the chicks quieted down.

Pasty Butt

Pasty butt is very common in chicks. We dealt with this issue multiple times. This problem occurs when a clump of droppings sticks to a chicks bottom and blocks their vent. To remove the clump, gently soften it with warm water. Then, one you have a firm grip on it, gently pull off the clump.

Sudden Deaths

As sad as it is, sudden deaths are common. We dealt with one of these. Whether the cause of the death is overcrowding, being too hot, pasty butt, having no food or water, being stressed, a disease, something else not listed here, or just entirely unknown, the best thing you can do is remove the dead chick from the brooder, as seeing a dead chick can scare the other chicks.


Brooders may help to determine how a chick will live the rest of their life. A chick with a poor brooder may grow up to be a small, unhealthy, unhappy bird, while a chick with a good brooder may grow up to be a large, healthy, happy bird. While brooders are only a small part of a chick’s life, they sure make a big impact.