Brooder Check Please

[maclady]

First time ever with chickens. I pick up 4 BOs on Saturday. Could anyone please let me know if I have the brooder set up correctly please? I have 2-3 inches of aspen shavings under the paper towel. I am using an old dog kennel 28x42x30 and put the cardboard around it to prevent drafts. It is in my garage. I have a red 250 watt bulb in the heat lamp. Already have medicated feed for them and Sav-A-Chick electrolyte/vitamin supplement for their water for first day or so. Also I have read it is hard to tell temps with the red light heat lamp so how do I tell if it is warm enough before I bring them home? I have a thermometer laying on top the paper towel under the heat lamp now. Thanks for any input anyone can give me. I am a little nervous about making sure the chicks get off to a good start. I am also going to try to post pics of the brooder setup.

 

[faykokoWV]

it looks good. If you have dogs, the potty training pads work great for the first couple days.
Dont get too hung up on the exact temperature of the brooder. If they all bunch up in a pile they are cold and if they pant or get way far away from the light they are too hot. Its not an exact science. Some people put marbles in the waterers the first week or so to prevent drowning. I've never done this but there is a risk the chicks will fall asleep and tip over into the water.

 

[nuttyredhead]

Good Job for planning ahead!!!! You want to be careful with the cardboard, dont get it too close to the heat lamp. (Im sure you already know that but i had to say it!). Also you will want to put something in front of the door. I am using the same dog crate and I had a 4 day old polish go through the slots. She went outside and froze to death.

I wouldnt want anyone to have the same thing happen. I agree with faykokoWV on the water and the heat.

Have fun with your new little ones, I bet you cant wait for Saturday!!!!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Just a thought, if I were you I would put the cardboard on the inside, cut to fit, or duct tape it flat against the outside, including the door. If you cut a piece to fit over the door opening, it won't affect the opening of the door. I can tell from experience the chicks will get out through the slats. Have you done a trail run on the temp with your heat lamp? Plug it in and leave it on for a couple of hours with the thermometer placed below to see what the temp will be. Make sure you dip their beaks in the water before letting them go and clean off and pasty bottoms if needed. Good luck with your chicks.

 

[chickee]

Sounds like you have done your homework well!

Only things I can ad from experience is that adding a few glass ovals (the kind you find at the dollar store that you put in a vase to hold your flowers upright) in the waterer helps the chicks learn to drink. The glass sparkles and the chicks are attracted to them and when they peck at them they taste the water. The other concern I have had is the safety of the traditional heat lamp bulbs. I now use the ceramic reptile heat emitter bulbs. They are less likely to cause a fire, are made to use indoors and last 5 years. I start the chicks out with the 100W bulb and then change to the 60W after the first 2 weeks. They do not emit light which keeps the chicks calmer and less likely to pick at each other. I just keep a light on in the room for them to see by.
Sounds like your going to be a great chick momma! Have fun with your new babies!

 

[maclady]

Thank you everyone who posted. The cardboard folds closed across the front of the kennel also. It ends up completely surrounded. Just couldn't get a very good picture that way. I have some of the glass type beads used for flowers so I will put them in the water dish. My biggest fear is fire from the heat lamp. Should I hang it inside or keep it outside the kennel/brooder? I think I will check the pet store for the reptile light setup. Do they get as hot as this 250 watt heat lamp? This site did teach me a lot about getting everything set up for the chicks so thanks to everyone that works to keep BackYardChickens going.

 

[dsqard]

I would leave the light outside of the brooder just like it is in the picture for now. If it is warm enough then it doesn't need to be any closer. I can't really tell how close the cardboard is to the crate sides but watch to make sure that a chick doesn't get between the crate and the box. They will definitely fit between the bars even up to around a month old. (it happened to me last year) I use the same kind of crate once the chicks are a little bigger and I used the plastic gutter covers you can buy at Home Depot cut down to size for inside the crate and zip tied to the bars. Works really good. No chicks escaped. Have fun with the chicks!

 

[faykokoWV]

I sometimes clamp mine to the a chair back sitting next to the brooder. I use my dining room table chairs that have open slats in the back. I clamp it about halfway up to start with and wrap the cord around the top of the chair and through the slats so that it cant fall down. Kinda hard to describe, but I hope you get the idea. By using the chair I can keep moving it up the back of the chair to decrease the heat as they get older.

 

[chickee]

The ceramic reptile bulbs are designed to hang lower, closer to your chicks and I have found that they have always given adequate heat at 60-100W vs the 250W traditional heat lamp bulb. They will cost more, but like I said they last 5 yrs+. I bought mine through Amazon and it came from Petsmart. They are way to high priced at a small pet shop. GOOD LUCK!

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