Brooder information needed

[crooked stripe]

I have been looking and reading the tread about brooders at the top of the page. I notice a lot of the larger brooders are just screened cages of some sort. I could not find one that answers my question. Is the temperature in and around the brooders at 70 give or take? My heat lamp only heats an area where the lite hits the beading. Don't chicks need the whole area they are living in to be the needed temperature? (- 5 degrees per week) My brooder has solid walls with a caged top that I lay a piece of insulation over to keep the whole area the required temp. I hope I explained this well enough to get a good answer. Chicks will be hatching next Monday so I need to be ready. John

 

[sgray136]

Did you check the Learning Center.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-first60days.html

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I just use large cardboard boxes for mine and my day olds are kept inside the house in the laundry room til I can move them outside...I use paper towels on the bottom for the first week or so and then add wood shavings...right now I only have 2 chicks in the brooder and I put puppy pads down...I have a heat lamp clamped to the edge of a table beside my box and it has a 100 watt light bulb in it...the inside of your box temp needs to be at 95 the first week and they say 5 degrees less each week til the birds feather out...I just place a thermometer down in the box or lay along the side so I know what my temp is for the chicks...

Some use large rubbermaid containers like the 55 gal ones and cut the lid and place wire across the center...and holes along the top sides...hope I helped...

Whatever you use it needs to have some solid sides on it to keep drafts off the day olds...they chill easy...

 

[crooked stripe]

The learning center didn't answer my question.


Tuff, If I understand your post, yes the brooder must have solid sides to maintain the needed temperature. In a cage brooder there is no way to keep a constant temp without having the chicks sit under the heat lamp. In my broder 6" away from the heat lamp the temp drops 5-10 degrees.

 

[speckledhen]

If you provide an area underneath the heatlamp that is the proper temp plus some sort of draft guard at the sides so a breeze can't just blow across them, they will wander around to eat and drink and get out from under the light from time to time. It doesn't have to be 95 degrees at every inch of the brooder and you will find that you really do not want that anyway. Watch how they act-if they are cold, they'll pile on top of each other rather than lay side by side. My chicks that hatched under the broody were running around outside at 55 degrees at 3 days old and when they got cold, they got under mom.

 

[skeeter]

your whole brooder shouldnt be 95 so if they get too warm they can get away from the heat

lol mrs hen posted while i was writing mine

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Well, my boxes are always the huge Sterilite boxes and they can get away from under the 95 degree bulb temps...

 

[crooked stripe]

You folks have answered my question. Thank you for your time. This is my first time at hatching and am freeking from the thought I might screw thing up. Thanks again John