Anyone tried this brooder concept?

[EmeraldAcres]

Lazy Gardener what would you have in mind for a heating source other than the recommended bulbs with ceramic?

 

[debid]

The advantages of the brooder you linked are only realized with large numbers of chicks. There is no benefit to giving to a larger heat source than is necessary and really, you'd only make it more difficult for them to escape the heat by overbuilding. A mama heat pad is my preferred method having used both bulb heating and electric hen. The hen produces no light so the chicks start life with a natural day/night cycle. I also start mine outdoors in a secure coop and feel that it's healthier all around.

 

[EmeraldAcres]

The advantages of the brooder you linked are only realized with large numbers of chicks. There is no benefit to giving to a larger heat source than is necessary and really, you'd only make it more difficult for them to escape the heat by overbuilding. A mama heat pad is my preferred method having used both bulb heating and electric hen. The hen produces no light so the chicks start life with a natural day/night cycle. I also start mine outdoors in a secure coop and feel that it's healthier all around.

okay, maybe I can implement this brooder concept later on in my breeding journey when I have larger amounts of chicks/poults. Now onto finding information about this Mama Heat Pad you guys are mentioning lol

 

[The Moonshiner]

The advantages of the brooder you linked are only realized with large numbers of chicks. There is no benefit to giving to a larger heat source than is necessary and really, you'd only make it more difficult for them to escape the heat by overbuilding. A mama heat pad is my preferred method having used both bulb heating and electric hen. The hen produces no light so the chicks start life with a natural day/night cycle. I also start mine outdoors in a secure coop and feel that it's healthier all around.

I would definitely not use a brooder like that.  Brooders need heat but the whole brooder should not be the same temperature.  Chicks need the ability to come and go between heat and cooler temperatures as needed and wanted.  Food and water should not be placed directly in the heat. 

I think you guys are thinking of this as being the whole brooder with the chicks all inside.
Its really a brooder as in the heat source for a brooder. You put it in a huge plywood box or on a floor with some sort of wire/fencing around it.
You heating and trapping the warm air in the box and the box is up off the floor whatever height you need for the chicks to pop in and out when they need to warm up or go cool off.
Food and water doesnt go inside but best when chicks are young to keep it close to it.
Its also real easy to just tip it up to see whats going on under there.
Ive used simular homemade ones on and off for years.
Work great but yes they are for large numbers of chicks in a large area.

 

[donrae]

Agree that brooder is not the entire enclosure for the chicks, just a warm spot inside a larger area. The link is meant for large volume of birds, someone brooding a hundred or so at a time.

I was thinking about making a smaller version, for my smaller batches. Might investigate other heat sources. Kind of like a heat plate, but with the heat not coming from the actual plate itself.

Ideas to mess with.....

 

[EmeraldAcres]

I think you guys are thinking of this as being the whole brooder with the chicks all inside.
Its really a brooder as in the heat source for a brooder. You put it in a huge plywood box or on a floor with some sort of wire/fencing around it.
You heating and trapping the warm air in the box and the box is up off the floor whatever height you need for the chicks to pop in and out when they need to warm up or go cool off.
Food and water doesnt go inside but best when chicks are young to keep it close to it.
Its also real easy to just tip it up to see whats going on under there.
Ive used simular homemade ones on and off for years.
Work great but yes they are for large numbers of chicks in a large area.

Yes, that is how I intended to use it.. inside an enclosed area so they had room to cool off, and in the pic on the instructions the waterers are just outside the heat source. With the price tag attached to the chicks I want, I will definitely not be purchasing in large numbers though lol! I was curious about the instructions saying the smallest recommended size was meant for 25 chicks, and the authors favored size/plan was for 100 chicks.. whereas I will probably only have 10 (providing they all survive shipping).

 

[debid]

I think you guys are thinking of this as being the whole brooder with the chicks all inside.
Its really a brooder as in the heat source for a brooder. You put it in a huge plywood box or on a floor with some sort of wire/fencing around it.
You heating and trapping the warm air in the box and the box is up off the floor whatever height you need for the chicks to pop in and out when they need to warm up or go cool off.
Food and water doesnt go inside but best when chicks are young to keep it close to it.
Its also real easy to just tip it up to see whats going on under there.
Ive used simular homemade ones on and off for years.
Work great but yes they are for large numbers of chicks in a large area.

I understand how a hover brooder works. That doesn't make it the best option for small batches of chicks.

 

[EmeraldAcres]

If you are going to keep them in the house you don't need a brooder like the one in your link. You could just use a tote and a heat lamp.

Okay, since most are in agreement the plan I was contemplating is NOT the best plan for a small amount of chicks (around 10). What size tote/box would be best for that amount? And how far off the ground do I place the heat lamp? I think my husband will just have to bite the bullet on not having the chicks in the house for the first order.. and we can experiment with outdoor/coop brooding in the future with chicks that aren't $60/each.

 

[debid]

Tote + heat lamp = oven. You have to be very careful not to overheat in a house. You want a big space with a small light. 100W, tops. Or, you could use something like EcoGlow if you want a prefab house "hen" or go to the mama heating pad section for DIY.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Here's another option. Kind of a modern day based on same concept.
Ive never used one but maybe someone will come along that has or you can search the forum for threads about them. http://www.brinsea.com/p-375-ecoglow-20-chick-brooder.aspx