Brooder Box

[PippinTheChicken]

What a great brooder! It looks big enough to work as chicken hospital or chicken jail should you ever need that. And the wheels are a great idea.

Agreed... Also it could be a broody box if you want to separate broody hens!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I was planning to go with fine pine shavings and put paper towels on top for the first week or so. Solely based on convenience of getting pine shavings, but I am open to other options. I do have a pretty well endless supply of aged, course wood chips from a tree chipping service, but have not read about anyone using those in a brooder.

Technically I use wood chips in my brooder, but it's more that I use run litter as my flooring (my brooder is open bottom and outdoors) and wood chips are the main component. For the first week or so I'll add a layer of aspen shavings over that to make a softer surface for the chicks, but it's all run litter after that.

 

[3KillerBs]

I was planning to go with fine pine shavings and put paper towels on top for the first week or so.

You want coarse-flake shavings, not fine flakes.

They're more likely to eat the fine flakes.

I turned the box they came in into a huddle box to give them a cozy spot and gave them a training perch pretty much as soon as I picked up the paper towels.