4-H Broilers

[Auvan0876]

Hi, everyone! We are doing a broiler project for the first time this year and are very new to raising any type of poultry. We will be getting our chicks from a broiler pool the same as everyone else and our county requires a pen of 3. We will be getting 20-25 chicks. We currently have a 10x10 dog kennel with a tarp-covered roof to house them in. Do the chicks need to live inside for a while after we get them, or do they just immediately live outside? Also, what type of structure do we need to have for INSIDE the kennel. Someone told me that they wouldn't need any structure in the kennel, but I also know that they will need a light. We are very new to this and were shocked to discover that there was no book for this project to help guide you. We are attended a few broiler clinics at our local fairgrounds soon and hope to meet some experienced people to talk with. I was hoping to just get a jump start on what we need for housing before then so we can be prepared.

 

[Maeschak]

Someone should come along that can help you more than I can, but I can tell you this: you will need to brood your chicks.
You can do this indoors or out it doesn't matter. Brooding just sort of means keeping your chicks until they are feathered enough to not need supplemental heat. They say that the first week there needs to be a spot that is about 95 degrees that the chicks can get to to warm up and sleep, then 90 degrees the second week, on and on until they no longer need heat. I've heard that Cornish cross need heat for a lot less time than other chickens bc they grow and create their own heat more quickly than other chickens.
I can also tell you that with 25 chickens they will huddle together and not need all of those 95 degrees the first week if they have some nice small place to huddle together like a box inside your kennel.
I made a 'brooder' box that I use with my newborn chicks- it is a plywood box with the front and bottom missng. Inside is something like an oven rack (lattice frame with chicken wire as the 'canvas'). I attach two heating pads to the oven rack with seran wrap and can adjust the height of the rack with pegs or nails to raise or lower it like ikea shelving. I turn the heating pads on low or medium. The chicks get under the heating pad/oven rack inside the box when they need warmth and run around when they don't. I found that with 25 dual purpose chicks inside the box the heating pads do not need to produce much heat. In fact, at ground level, when my temps are 85 degrees without chicks, once the chicks get in there the temps were over 99 degrees!
You can make a heating pad huddle box like this and put your chicks directly outside in your kennel as long as they are shielded from wind and rain.
They will stop using the heat in the box when they no longer need it.

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

Brooder: for the first 2 weeks after that I would then put them in the kennel and work them. Move the kennel everyday to new grass. If not by day two there will be no grass.
I use a large storage tub from Walmart. 2 foot tall and 2 foot wide by 4 foot long. My temps range from 85°-95° during the day. No need for heat lamp. My problem is keeping them cool and ventilated. At night I get down to 75° I use a heat pad just to raise temp up 7-10°.
At 2 weeks I use

Then they stay in this 24/7 till it’s time to pluck. This will hold 25-30 chickens for the 8 weeks and it’s light enough to always have new grass. I hang food for 10-12 hours then remove food and leave water 24hours.
Helps keep health problems in check.
I wrap electric wire every 6inches for 1.5feet (3 wraps). Keeps critters out.

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

Here is two of the set ups I use