Brooder in house?

[lhowemt]

Hi-

I am going to get 8 chicks this spring for the first time. I was thinking about making a brooder out of an aquarium, and keeping it in the kitchen. It would be right by a window with birds, and I like the idea for good socialization, with us, our dogs, and our cats. A friend told me the dust is terrible, and that would be a bad idea. What do you all think?

 

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

I have chicks in my house right now. They stink and I can't wait to get them out of the house. I change there paper every hour and rinse there water and feed bowl out, they like to poop in and on everything. I would not personally want them in my kitchen. They are by far..not a clean critter to keep in the house. Mine are in a big wooden box with a top on them so they can't fly out. I kinda wish I had waited to hatch any out. Winters haven't been this cold in years. DeeJay Your idea sounds neat, but I would really think about it.

 

[gritsar]

Look around here on BYC and you'll see lots of people do keep their brooders in the house. I for one wouldn't be able to handle the dust, so mine were brooded outside; in a heated shed for two weeks and then on the screened porch with heat lamps.
You'll be surprised at how fast eight chicks will outgrow an aquarium. If you look at the top of this category you'll see a post with pics of brooders. You might get some ideas there.
No matter how trustworthy you consider your dogs and cats, it'll be safest if you always supervise their interactions. Even my "I love everything and everyone!" wolfhound couldn't resist picking up a chick to play with. The chick was fine physically, but traumatized nonetheless.
Good luck!

 

[coffeemama]

I have a large 4x4 brooder that I keep on my front porch which is open to the living room. I use shavings-it's dusty, but only for a short while. The stink seems to grow exponentially around 2-3 weeks. It's not undo-able, but I would choose a larger brooder if you plan to keep them in past a few weeks, and not put them in the kitchen if you can help it.

 

[waynesgarden]

I've kept them in the kitchen for perhaps two weeks before the dust became a problem and they had to move to the basement.

Now I have a mudroom between the kitchen and the barn and that's where new chicks are brooded until warm enough to move out to the barn.

Wayne

 

[lhowemt]

Hmm, I just had an idea. I have a covered patio right outside the kitchen. I could put it out there, and they would have a lot of exposure to activity. Heated, of course, and a pretty big aquarium. I don't think we'll be getting the chicks until late spring, we plan to build the coop first which will probably be a March project, assuming the ground has cleared. So in May they should be good with one or two bulbs. I'll have to give that more thought as this winter goes by.

Dogs may never have access to the chickens, golden retrievers and one is pretty birdy. But I want them used to them so they don't constant pester them (read bark and lunge) on the fence line. The coop is going to be on the fence line of the dog yard and garden yard, so we can have a door to each and free range in both without having to herd them through an area with the dogs. Just put the dogs in the other yard, and let the chickens out!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

aquarium isn't going to last long for 8 chicks. THey grow pretty fast. I don't think I will ever brood them in the house again. STINK, dust, poop. I ended up re-modling my bathroom after the last group.

 

[crazyhen]

Thats a better Idea. I had mine in the house and everything seem to go well for about 3 weeks. Then the chicky smell started and although I moved them to a much larger brooder area it only got worse and the dust started at about 3 weeks to get bad too. I would wait till spring and use a mud room or porch if possible. I really enjoyed the little things but it is hard work. Lots of clean-ups for sure to keep it clean. I only had 6 chicks. Oh build the coop three times the size you will think you need. Once you get started you want 2 of each kind at least. LoL good luck jean

 

[lhowemt]

So how big to have the brooder for 8 chicks? All heavies. Let's say a size for keeping them in for 3 -4 weeks, since my plan is to have the coop ready BEFORE we get the chicks.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

I had my 15 (16 at the time, one died) in a 4x4x2 brooder in my office LOL it was dusty alright, but it wasn't that bad, and i'm glad i brooded them indoors. i used shavings in my brooders, and changed them maybe twice a week, once if it wasn't too bad.

i'm getting 5 more chicks, and 3 ducks in the spring, so i'll be reusing the big brooder for something else, and making two smaller brooders out of large tote boxes, which will sit in our office once again.