Brooder Box - Complete and Occupied w/Pics

[stevin]

here is the brooder i constructed (with the help of a good friend) from a few large panels of cardboard(supplied by a good friend).
the dimensions are 4ft wide X 9ft long X 30in high.
the 9ft walls taper in slightly at the top to accommodate the window screens that are only 44in long. i figured that i would maintain the 4ft wide floor space and still be able to lay the screens accross the top.
i have a partition in the middle that provides support to the 9th sides as well and has a opening already cut into it, but it's currently closed off till the chicks get a lil bigger. the floor was lined with a sheet of plastic to help with any accidental spillage.

a few days later the chicks arrived, 25 Rhode Island Reds from Pine Grove, who i might add is an awesome person to deal with!
THANX WILLIAM!!!!!
it did not take long for them to find the water

or the lil bit of chick feed that i had accidentally spilled into the pine shavings.....it was like instinct kicked in and they all started scratching thru the shaving.

then once they polished off any feed on the floor they noticed the feeder!!!

A huge thanx to all that helped me w/any questions i had.

 

[Guitartists]

Nice simple large roomy set-up

 

[stevin]

thanks,
i read somewhere on here that a good ratio to figure out the size of a brooder would be
.5sqft per chick between 1-3weeks old and 1sqft per chick between 4-8weeks.
and then out to the coop after that!!!!
i took into consideration the feeder and the 2 waterers.
plus i was lucky enough to score a good amount of cardboard.
sadly, once the chicks have been moved out i will most likely take the utility knife to it and fill a couple recycle bins.

 

[smallcitychick]

Looks good! I really wish I had the space to keep mine in the house so I could watch them constantly, but alas, it had to be in the garage. All you little chickies look healthy and happy!

 

[kichohana]

very nice and spacious! i love your feeder - is it an antique?

watch out for all that scratching - I too have a plastic bag as a "bottom" to my brooder under the shavings. my chickies scratched right thru that plastic which made it a bit messy when I did their first major brooder clean-out. a lot of "chicken stuff" fell thru the holes they scratched in the plastic.

 

[chicmom]

That's a great looking brooder! And I like what you did with the plastic bag taped into the bottom....very nice and inexpensive!

 

[Mervin]

Quote:
I figured my wife would complain about having them inside and I'd have to finish the coop and get them in it ASAP. She has surprised me though. Last night I was talking about getting the coop done and she said she didn't know why I was in such a rush. She thought they'd have to be inside for a couple of months. She's really becoming a chickie mamma. I think she'll be upset when the go outside.

 

[stevin]

haha...
the first response i got out of mine was, "You're gonna do WHAT in the basement!!!?"
past 2 days she keeps dissapearing and i catch her in the basement with the chicks.
she's been awesome with them!!! i'm very proud of her...
the only complaint i've gotten from her is that the sides of the brooder are too high and she can't get in there.
i'm gonna make some type of door so she can enter and exit easily.
she says it's like trying to jump a hurdle...

 

[nanawendy]

Great set-up. You might dust those pic's every time she goes out of the room...

to keep the dust off, or she might rethink the brooder in your den.

 

[stevin]

uh oh......

that bad huh?