Brooder?? help!

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

For now i am using a LONG rubbermaid been with a screened lid for when my baby chickeees first arrive... But later i want to build one for their teenage weeks..... I want one that they WONT outgrow.. i figure they will outgrow this one in about a month or less... how big should the brooder i build be for 6-8 chicks?? So that they will NOT grow out of it?

 

[james w]

I guess there is no right answer to your question and I imagine most owners do what works for them and their particular situation.

I can tell you what works for me.

I had a similar problem in that I regularly raise new batches of chicks or purchase and up until recently didn't have a suitable brooder to keep them in.


I built a 1m wide, by 2 m long and 1 m high brooder tractor. By that I mean that it has a set or rear wheels. It only took me an afternoon to put together. I used simple chicken wire all the way around and fitted a roof from corregated fibre glass. If I raise chicks artificially, I will of course keep them under lights and in a 1m x 1m cage until they are ready to go out, but I will put store purchased or chicks intially raised by a hen straight in. I have used the brooder for 10 to 12 chicks without problems. The chicks generally get up to a nice size quite quickly. The benefit of the wheels is that the brooder is moveable so I will start the brooder in one area of my veg garden and then move it another when the weeds, grass, etc have been eaten. Plus, I get the benefit of free chicken manure, which I will dig straight in. You wanna see the melons I grew on a strip I used last winter.

When the chicks are a decent size and have a bit of immunity, I move the brooder into the same field as the adult hens so that they can get to know each other. After a couple of weeks, I will simply open the door and let them all get on with it. The brooder is also big enough to place the hen in with the chicks, but of course this depends on the number of chicks. I wouldn't want to overcrowd.

I don't include perches as they take up a lot of space and make getting in and out more difficult. I also recently attached an old wooden dog kennel to the back so that the chicks get extra shelter if the weather gets really bad. I line with straw or wood shavings which I then throw on the garden afterwards.

Hope this helps.

 

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

Thanks!! That gives me some idea~

 

[33yardbirds]

I just use a roll of 24"x50' aluminum coil stock and make the circle larger as they grow, then roll it back up tight until the next spring batch is ordered. For 25 chicks I start 3 1/2' across. Easier for me to store than a built brooder.

 

[saylernsaxonsmom]

Our first attempt at a brooder... I got bored waiting for the chicks and painted it. The girls seem to like it.

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Quote:
Very nice

 

[saylernsaxonsmom]

Thanks!

I forgot to mention that this is our 4 week and older brooder. We have a spot for a heat lamp, but Texas summers make it a bit too hot for my Brahma chicks. They had a baby brooder (similar to the one you have described) set up in the garage until they were ready to be moved to the Chicken Safari Hotel.

 

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

nice brooder! <3 it!

 

[88oldsr]

HI! I'm new to the chicken keeping world and I need some help, please. I'm getting either 3 or 4 chicks and I need to know will a 10 gallon tank with a mesh hood and a 75 watt heat lamp suffice until they can go outside or should a get something bigger? I have a large rubbermaid plastic bin and a long hamster cage. Would those be better than a 10 gallon aquarium? What should I use for bedding? WIll paper towels do fine or would pine shavings do better? Regaurdless of the bedding should I put down a clean soft dishrag underneath the heat lamp for them to sleep on at night so the dont get cold? Please help!

 

[CorporateGranola]

Quote:
I'd recommend something a bit larger. If you have room, a small "kiddie pool" [8 dollars from Ace Hardware] with two large boxes as a barrier [likely free] to create an easy brooder to raise your chicks. Inside of the pool we used pine shavings [~$5 at your local Tractor Supply] and covered them with an old bedsheet [free] so the new chicks don't try to eat their bedding for the first few days. A cinder block [~$5 from Home Depot] and a clamp-on heat lamp with red bulb [~$20 IIRC] sits on the side opposite from their food/water.

Total cost (not including feeding/watering stuff): About $40.

My only concern is once they get to the 3-4 week mark, if they'll be able to bound over the 36" cardboard walls. Only time will tell. I have some spare hardware cloth left over from the coop, so we might need to use that as a top to keep them from "flying" around the sun room

I'll post a pic of our brooder once I get home later this evening.