Well Im almost finished with my brooder after working on it all day. I used 3 old wooden pallets for the material. I found these on the side of the highway. All I need now is some wire to go around it. Maybe I will take some pictures of it and post them for yall to see. 'Course it aint gonna look good empty but it wont be long before it will be occupied. I need some suggestions on flooring material though. Im gonna have a wire bottom but I will cover it with something else. Newspapers or a piece of plywood with paper towels over that? Or plywood, pineshavings, then paper towels? Thanks in advance for any replies.
The bottom of my brooder is plywood with pine shavings on top. I keep them in a plastic tote with paper towels for the first couple of days and then move them to the brooder with shavings. Works great for me.
Plywood, then a generous layer of pine shavings and then paper towels on top just for the first few days.
I have been collecting some pine needles and have some wood sawdust for brooder/coop. I have found a local person selling some RIRs, BRs, and Orps and I am about to get six straight runs. The chicks are around 3 weeks old. So, for a beginner, how should I prep the area? Can I just use a big cardboard box? If I keep the brooder in the garage, where the door is opened twice a day for parking a car, should I just use a large cardboard box? I know drafts are the problem, but if the box is high enough to keep the draft away, should there be any other issues? What about water and food? Crumbles, right? I know medicated vs. non med are subjective. Anything else? Thanks in advance!
I just use big cardboard boxes for inside my house....you will need to put something securely over the top to keep predators at bay...I use just the cheap chick feeders and waterers from a feedstore for my day olds...and it would be a good idea to see what the owner has them on in regards to medicated or un-medicated crumbles already....and don't forget a heat lamp, they will chill easy...
My brooder is bottomless and sits on a cement floor in my basement. I have about a 2 inch layer of shavings, the bottomless-ness makes it extremely easy to clean.
Quote:Thanks Tuffoldhen. That's a good idea to see what they are currently eating. I've heard some wallyworlds carry the purina crumbles, so once I find out, I'll get them there if need be. My next door neighbor delivers produce from the Valley into metropolitan areas. I'm hopeful to do a swap of excess veggies and eggs with her. I'm headed to wallyworld to get a couple of heat lamps (redundancy) and already have a nice large 3X3 ft cardboard box. I've seen lining the box with paper towels good enough for the starting chicks. Later, I'll head over to Tractor Supply to get a waterer and feeder.