are fish tanks (10 gallons) good brooders?

[leghorns_rule]

Or dose it trap harmful gases in it????

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I think they'd be fine, if not a bit small, depending on how many birds you have in there. You'd eventually have to change to something larger as the chicks get older and bigger.

As far as trapping gas, that will depend on how well you ventilate. Most people use wire lids across the tops of their brooders, or just leave them open (until the chicks get big enough to learn how to jump & fly out).

 

[SeaChick]

We had only 5 and our brooder was twice that size: they outgrew it pretty fast, maybe 3 weeks?

 

[Renegade]

I don't recommend the 10g. By the time you put the food and water in they won't have any room. I use a 40g long for 10 or fewer chicks and they outgrow that fairly quickly.

Donna

 

[crysmom]

I think aquariums work well its just likely 10gallons will be on the small size.

 

[drafthorse39]

It all depends on how many chickens your putting in their. The glass will trap heat so combined with the chickens internal heat it would make it pretty hot, so if your using a brooder light you would have to think about that, I use totes myself, a 51 gallon cost about 20 bucks and i just sanitize it before i get the next batch in, simple. Good Luck!

 

[TurtleChick]

yeaaaaah smallish. i used a rubbermade storage thingie - about 2' x 3' - for our 4 little girls and they'd outgrown it by 2 1/2 weeks... they're 5 weeks old now and making a HUGE mess in my giant-size vari-kennel (my german shepherd says "what're they doing to my houuuuuuuse????").

 

[SeaChick]

When they outgrow whatever you use as a preliminary brooder, you'll need to rig something bigger. There are lots of ideas on this forum, if you search you should find the brroder photo thread.

We got one of those cardboard watermelon bins from the grocery store. The are about 3 feet square and 24" high or so. We taped heavy-duty contractor bag into the bottom to protect the floor, and covered with shavings. Maybe they will have them for pie pumpkins at Thanksgiving? It worked GREAT for our girls for many weeks. Eventually we had to put window screens across the top when they started flying up and wanted to roost on the edge at night! (We provided a roost in the brooder and covered it at night.)

Good luck- chicks are SO fun!
Stacey

 

[Wildsky]

We used those wire storage cube thingies, like small squares you hook together with plastic clips. We also used cable ties to keep them together and cardboard on the inside to keep all the shavings and food inside. Worked for about 3 or 4 weeks, then they were too big and we opened the brooder and kept them on our enclosed patio till they were 6 weeks old and moved out.

 

[leghorns_rule]

I was planing on 2 chicks but now that i think about it a rubermade storage box sounds pretty good