Brooder for 20 chicks? Now it has turned to 30!

[Chicken0Boy]

Does anyone have a brooder plan for 20 chicks? Pics would be great!!!Also what is DE? I read the sign, and don't know what it means. An explination would also be great!

 

[triggfamily5]

I don't have access to my computer right now, but if you go to my BYC page, it has pictures of 2 brooders I use for 15-25 chicks. The one on the bottom currently has 24 chicks in it, and I did add a second light to it last night just because I have some younger ones in there and I set the two lights at slightly different heights to help with the crowding. I also added another feeder in it last night. I just added some younger chicks on Monday (they aren't in those pictures).

My brooder is currently on my insulated porch (the floor isn't insulated though, and it's off the ground).

 

[TeamChaos]

I'm new around here so I might be wrong, but I think DE is diatomaceous earth... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

 

[Woods_Woman]

Do a search on DE here on the BYC forum and you will find all kinds of info, there are pro's and con's to it, I've just started using it and it's to soon to tell you what I think of the stuff.

 

[Fort Orpington]

We used a large kid pool for our brooder. It worked well, after they got to be a couple of weeks old we put chicken wire around the pool so the chicks could not get out. We kept in in the shop. Here is a pic before the chicks came, once we got them we put down paper towels over the wood chips so that they could find the food. This also made it very easy to clean.

 

[smchickfarm]

I was given a 8 foot rabbit hutch. It is seperated into 2, 4' cages. I am going to use that for a brooder. Just another idea for you.

 

[acid_chipmunk]

We use a very large plastic tote from Walmart. We had 20 chicks in it up until last night when we moved our meat birds out. They were getting too big to be with my Silkies. The best part about the tote is you can use it to store feed after the chicks are out of it!

 

[cybercat]

Here is my brooder I used for 25 chicks. It is 7 ft long and 2 feet wide and 3 feet high. Chicks were in it a long time up to 12 weeks. By 4 weeks they were getting out of it. The tope you see in the back of the pick I also had on front it was just the same cardboard the box was that was left over.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

As for brooders they are easy all you need is a relly big box a heat lamp some pine shavings a feeder/waterer and chicks or you can build one to your own specs which is what most of us do.
As long as you line it with cardboard and a way to get in and out to change feed/water/shavings as well a way to put up the light you will be just fine....

Mine is a pallet with 2x4's screwed to the pallet boards and a center brace to hold the lamp all I did was covered it all the way around the iside leaving a way to get inside of it to clean it out I keep a blanket on that area cause they are outside in the barn/coop (sorry no pictures of it) it is plenty big enough for the 6 BO's I have in it right now you can do it what ever size you want as long as you don't have any drafts comeing into it they will be just fine.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Quote:
Yes that is what DE is
In the FAQ area they do have anarea that tells you what all the abrvations stand for.