Brooder questions

[Ridgerunner]

how heavy that will be to get it in and out of the house etc.

How many hatching eggs will you have? I know not all may hatch but you have to plan as if they all will. That's going to determine how big to build the brooder. It needs to be big enough for them as they grow. You do not want them to outgrow their brooder. If they get crowded their behaviors can turn dangerous. How many might you have and how old will they be when you are ready to move them out of the brooder?

To avoid all of the issues with it being heavy or having to move it through doors, build it in your heated garage. Start them in the brooder in there. You could probably even hatch in that garage if you wanted too. I don't know how warm you plan to keep it but I'd think that is your simplest option. It may avoid your cat issues.

I do have a coop already actually, but there are 9 full grown hens in there so I’m not sure how easy that integration process will be.

My brooder is in the coop. I put them in there straight from the incubator or post office. I don't know what your coldest temperatures could be while they are out there, my coldest has been about 10 Fahrenheit (-12 C). I use a heat lamp to keep one end of my brooder warm enough in the coldest temperatures and make my brooder big enough and with enough ventilation so the far end cools off enough in the warmest temperatures. I keep my water in the warmed area so it stays thawed. My biggest issue with brooding outside is the temperature swings. Mine can go from below freezing to the 70's F (21 C) in less than a day. I don't want to be out there constantly making adjustments especially at night.

I agree with @azygous , if they grow up with the flock integration is usually a lot easier.

How big is your coop (in feet or meters). Will you have enough room for all of your new chickens? Integration typically takes more room than if they are already integrated.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

Sorry took so long to reply, busy weekend! I just poked around and it looks like if you click on your photo profile icon on the top bar and then click “attachments” it gives you all the pictures you’ve shared.

 

[mcdze]

i wouldnt bother with a 'fabricated' permanent brooder unless a) you have an ongoing large operation and b) you have space for it and c) your strong and motivated enough to clean it ... cardboard boxes come in all sizes up to watermelon bin, are easy to move and clean if properly prepped with tape etc. and all you need is a piece of wire folded over to cover it with, you can supplement that with an old sheet etc ... punch a hole in the side for a light fixture and 60w bulb 10" off the floor and youre ready to rumble ... what works good for 'feeders' are large lids for the first2 days then graduate to large size tuna or chicken cans .. that holds em for as long as theyre in there which for me isnt long .. by 3 weeks or so i move them to a covered wire pen on the ground outside and the brooder?
that mess is gone until next 'cycle' in a few months .. so a permanent structure i just dont want ...

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

Ok thanks all, I think I've got a 'plan' now! I'll do something temporary in the house for that first week or two when they are really small and then my father in law is I think going to build me a larger brooder box out in our heated garage, not enough space right in the coop unfortunately (now that's next plan for a bigger dream coop lol!)

I am wondering about the safety of a brooder heat plate in either a cardboard box, pack n play or large rubbermaid tote for that first week or so? Can anyone speak to that?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sorry took so long to reply, busy weekend! I just poked around and it looks like if you click on your photo profile icon on the top bar and then click “attachments” it gives you all the pictures you’ve shared.

Thank you so much! I just keep posting the same pics bc I did not know this! You're my hero!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

am wondering about the safety of a brooder heat plate in either a cardboard box, pack n play or large rubbermaid tote for that first week or so? Can anyone speak to that?

Have not used a brooder plate yet. But I know they have to be in contact with it to feel the warmth, it does not put out radiant heat so it sounds pretty safe.

We put our totes half in, half out of a closet in a spare bedroom, and we've taken the sliding doors off the closet. We hang a heat lamp off the clothes rod, anchored securely so it can't fall, and we've rigged it so we can raise or lower it, using hangers. If the chicks look like they are too warm, we slide the tote farther out of the closet. If they look chilled, we shove it deeper in, under the lamp.

We use a heat lamp, red at night, white by day. Sorry I know this doesn't answer your question but it may give you something to consider. In a tote we don't feel there is enough room for a brooder plate big enough for all the chicks, especially as they grow. Maybe others could address that.

We don't go by a thermometer, we go by behavior. If the chicks are huddled tightly together and cheeping loudly, they're cold. If they're standing far apart, panting, wings away from their bodies, they are way too hot! We want them, when awake, moving freely around, eating and drinking, chirping quietly and talking to each other, relaxed. If sleeping, yes they will form a "cuddle puddle" but again they will be sweetly chirping to each other, they will not sound distressed but just telling each other about their little chicken dreams.

 

[Debbie292d]

Ok thanks all, I think I've got a 'plan' now! I'll do something temporary in the house for that first week or two when they are really small and then my father in law is I think going to build me a larger brooder box out in our heated garage, not enough space right in the coop unfortunately (now that's next plan for a bigger dream coop lol!)

I am wondering about the safety of a brooder heat plate in either a cardboard box, pack n play or large rubbermaid tote for that first week or so? Can anyone speak to that?

If you need something really temporary, here's what we used before hubby built the second brooder. He was a bit anal about the ventilation.

He made the bottom rows too low, so we ended up covering the holes with hardware cloth.

It was a huge box—you can see it's past his knees. We used it for a week or two, and then it was a shame to get rid of it, but then we had the nice one he built.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

If you need something really temporary, here's what we used before hubby built the second brooder. He was a bit anal about the ventilation.

He made the bottom rows too low, so we ended up covering the holes with hardware cloth.

It was a huge box—you can see it's past his knees. We used it for a week or two, and then it was a shame to get rid of it, but then we had the nice one he built.


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I have huge moving boxes, big Rubbermaid totes like bigbluehen uses, and a playpen. So now it’s just deciding which to use lol. I have three little boys so something they won’t crash into and disturb lol. I’ve ordered more hardware cloth and already have leftover wood from other projects so I think my father in law can build me a nice big brooder to move them into in the heated garage once they get too big.