In another thread, I mentioned that you can make a disposable/temporary brooder from a wardrobe-sized moving box. I was asked for pictures, so here you have it:
1. Just lay the cardboard box on its side, cut the "top" off with an exacto (I left one end with an overhang for stability), and to cover the feeder/waterer so it wasn't directly under the brooding lamp.
2. After taping around the corners (I used masking tape to start, but as the peeps aged, I reinforced it with duct tape), I lined the bottom with plastic to keep spills or waste from soaking through. I taped a cheap-o thermometer to the side which worked perfect for the peeps I had.
3. You'll also see that the brooding lamp is right at 18 inches above the bottom when suspended by a crossbeam. The added benefit to using this setup is that the wardrobe-style moving boxes come with a metal "hanger" bar that is the perfect size and shape to suspend the brooder lamp. As the chicks aged and I needed to raise the lamp, I just used a heavy-duty clamp to suspend it a bit higher and tossed the crossbar.
4. Fill up the bottom with the bedding of your choice. I used pine shavings. It's easy to see in this picture how there's enough room for the feeder/waterer, as well as room to roam for the chicks when they want to stretch their legs. As they grew up and the peeps started beaking out their food, I just put in a small platform to elevate it as needed.
5. Add peeps. In this case, that's one of my Light Brahmas in the foreground, followed by a Buff Orpington and a Danish Brown Leghorn. There's a Rhode Island Red sleeping in the background if you look for the lump. Not surprisingly, the Light Brapictured here in all her round glory was named "Pudge."
6. Get Cat's approval.
In all seriousness, this solution worked best for me because of two reasons. First, I wanted something temporary, as I got my peeps BEFORE I moved up to the property I'm on now. So they were raised the first few weeks in an apartment in downtown San Jose. Second, it needed to be portable enough to transport up to the property for the final couple of weeks. It served my purpose well while I finished building the coop to house the grown chicks.
Total Cost:
1. Wardrobe Box: $5
2. Tape: $1
3. Plastic bags to line the bottom: $.50
Which left me more money to spend on a better lamp, feeder, waterer, bedding, etc.
Oh, and as the peeps got big enough to hop up on the edge (Leghorns figured it out first, not surprisingly), I just added a small length of chicken wire on the top to keep them safely inside.
Hope it helps!
1. Just lay the cardboard box on its side, cut the "top" off with an exacto (I left one end with an overhang for stability), and to cover the feeder/waterer so it wasn't directly under the brooding lamp.
2. After taping around the corners (I used masking tape to start, but as the peeps aged, I reinforced it with duct tape), I lined the bottom with plastic to keep spills or waste from soaking through. I taped a cheap-o thermometer to the side which worked perfect for the peeps I had.
3. You'll also see that the brooding lamp is right at 18 inches above the bottom when suspended by a crossbeam. The added benefit to using this setup is that the wardrobe-style moving boxes come with a metal "hanger" bar that is the perfect size and shape to suspend the brooder lamp. As the chicks aged and I needed to raise the lamp, I just used a heavy-duty clamp to suspend it a bit higher and tossed the crossbar.
4. Fill up the bottom with the bedding of your choice. I used pine shavings. It's easy to see in this picture how there's enough room for the feeder/waterer, as well as room to roam for the chicks when they want to stretch their legs. As they grew up and the peeps started beaking out their food, I just put in a small platform to elevate it as needed.
5. Add peeps. In this case, that's one of my Light Brahmas in the foreground, followed by a Buff Orpington and a Danish Brown Leghorn. There's a Rhode Island Red sleeping in the background if you look for the lump. Not surprisingly, the Light Brapictured here in all her round glory was named "Pudge."
6. Get Cat's approval.
In all seriousness, this solution worked best for me because of two reasons. First, I wanted something temporary, as I got my peeps BEFORE I moved up to the property I'm on now. So they were raised the first few weeks in an apartment in downtown San Jose. Second, it needed to be portable enough to transport up to the property for the final couple of weeks. It served my purpose well while I finished building the coop to house the grown chicks.
Total Cost:
1. Wardrobe Box: $5
2. Tape: $1
3. Plastic bags to line the bottom: $.50
Which left me more money to spend on a better lamp, feeder, waterer, bedding, etc.
Oh, and as the peeps got big enough to hop up on the edge (Leghorns figured it out first, not surprisingly), I just added a small length of chicken wire on the top to keep them safely inside.
Hope it helps!
