Anyone use GQF Brooder trays?

[chickensinwasillaAK]

If you use them, I realize the chicks can only stay in it for likely two weeks, but as fresh hatched,how many would you put in a tray max? Paperwork says you can put 100, seems that would be pretty crowded, I was thinking more along the lines of 50 per tray for two weeks, then to a large enclosure. Just wondering if anyone has used a larger number per tray and if so for how long.

 

[SuttonHeritageFarm]

We keep up to 80-90 standards in a GQF brooder up till 2 weeks old. Keep in mind after week 1 we remove the water and feed from the inside and use the outside trays that are provided. Then at 2 weeks we move them to another GQF brooder that has the expansion on it. This makes it taller. I only keep 30-50 in this one. They stay in there till fully feathered and then go outside to a grow out pen. We love these brooders! In fact I just ordered my 6th and 7th last night! We also ordered the auto water system for them.

All of our incubation, hatching and brooder systems are from GQF! I have lost very few birds since switching. I might loose 2% out of every hatch. Please send me a PM if you plan on putting bantams, quail or other small birds in them. It gets more complicated, but they still work great! I have 70 bantams, 20 ducklings and 15 three week old standards in ours now!

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

Thanks for the advice. I gave some eggs to a friend to do a test hatch, of the 36, 35 are developing at day 10. I figure I can incubate about 200 a week. I also use exclusively GQF, the sportsman incubator, the hatcher and the 5 tier brooder. The sportsman has been pretty spot on for temps, sort of set it and forget it. Expensive to buy on the front side but they'll pay off over the years.
My brooder last year for 90 chicks was 12x20, so looking at the GQF brooder I was thinking that would be cramming them pretty tight but if it works for you I guess the paperwork was right.

Did you find it a problem with them accessing the outside trays for food and water as day olds? I was planning on using the outside from day one.

 

[SuttonHeritageFarm]

Yes and no...All my babies are started on food and water on the inside I even put a paper towel under the feeder and sprinkle some around it. The only way I can go from hatcher to brooder with trays on the outside is to place an older chick or two who know how to use them already. They will teach the chicks. Do not do this however for ducks or turkeys. Ducks will get too much water the first day and could become "water logged" and die. Also, with turkey poults they are always a pain to get to eat and drink at first. I usually use the chick trick or older poults with feed and water on the inside.

Feel free to PM me with any questions. I have raised just about anything but geese in mine

 

[cva34]

That Trick with a few day older chick is a great idea. Monkey see Monkey DOO....cva34

Yes and no...All my babies are started on food and water on the inside I even put a paper towel under the feeder and sprinkle some around it. The only way I can go from hatcher to brooder with trays on the outside is to place an older chick or two who know how to use them already. They will teach the chicks. Do not do this however for ducks or turkeys. Ducks will get too much water the first day and could become "water logged" and die. Also, with turkey poults they are always a pain to get to eat and drink at first. I usually use the chick trick or older poults with feed and water on the inside.

Feel free to PM me with any questions. I have raised just about anything but geese in mine

 

[SuttonHeritageFarm]

Yep! Works like a charm and less worrying and work on my part. I just wish I had thought of it earlier!

 

[frablefeatheredfarm]

Yes and no...All my babies are started on food and water on the inside I even put a paper towel under the feeder and sprinkle some around it. The only way I can go from hatcher to brooder with trays on the outside is to place an older chick or two who know how to use them already. They will teach the chicks. Do not do this however for ducks or turkeys. Ducks will get too much water the first day and could become "water logged" and die. Also, with turkey poults they are always a pain to get to eat and drink at first. I usually use the chick trick or older poults with feed and water on the inside.

Feel free to PM me with any questions. I have raised just about anything but geese in mine

How many ducklings have you fit in the grow out pen?

 

[Ali_Howard]

We keep up to 80-90 standards in a GQF brooder up till 2 weeks old. Keep in mind after week 1 we remove the water and feed from the inside and use the outside trays that are provided. Then at 2 weeks we move them to another GQF brooder that has the expansion on it. This makes it taller. I only keep 30-50 in this one. They stay in there till fully feathered and then go outside to a grow out pen. We love these brooders! In fact I just ordered my 6th and 7th last night! We also ordered the auto water system for them.

All of our incubation, hatching and brooder systems are from GQF! I have lost very few birds since switching. I might loose 2% out of every hatch. Please send me a PM if you plan on putting bantams, quail or other small birds in them. It gets more complicated, but they still work great! I have 70 bantams, 20 ducklings and 15 three week old standards in ours now!

You purchase the expansion and attach it to the top? I wasn’t sure how that worked, but read that the grow out pens are sometimes too short. We have some larger chicks coming, so I wasn’t sure it would work for us.