Brooder Maintenance

[firedove]

As some have mentioned, when you have a thick bed of shavings on the bottom of the brooder you can just stir it up for a couple of days before total replacement, UNLESS you notice it is getting damp in which case you need to change it sooner. I put 5" in the bottom of my older chick brooder this last time and it's been 4 days, it still looks clean and no smell since the chicks keep scratching everything around and it has stayed dry with very little poop showing on the surface. I will be changing it today though because I think 4 days is plenty long for one bunch of shavings to last.

 

[toyzbox]

I've got 26 in the brooder right now. They are about 3 weeks old. I put about 3 inches on the bottom and stir it every day. I change it about once a week. More if it gets wet or too dirty. They seem to do just fine. One note: I've noticed that new bedding is about 99% dust. I had to put one of my air filters from my parrot room in with the brooder. Helps quite a bit.