Brooder Questions

[swiftfoot]

i use the traditional cardboard box with a shoplight as a brooder i was wondering what kind of brooder i could get as a new brooder i have a really cheap pocket so the cheaper the better if you guys have a sugestion a reference to a brooder let me know
i brood:
quail
pheashent
chicks
partridge
ducks
so universal would be better

 

[debakadeb]

I use a 49-gal plastic tote which we purchased at Walmart for under $20 with a clamp light holder. My DH took the lid of the tote, cut out the center and screwed harware cloth to the top of it. That way when the babies are very small, the brooder light (we use a regular poultry brooder bulb) can be placed directly on the wire. As the chicks have gotten older, I have clamped the light so that it is higher and not as hot in the tote.

This is easy to clean but probably not great for a lot of birds in it at a time once they are 3 weeks old. I only have six babies so it works well for me.

 

[swiftfoot]

yes we have used this on hampsters
but i am looking for a brooder that will hold a lot more chicks
how do i put this i need a more of a industrial brooder

 

[swiftfoot]

i have already looked at the brinsea but they are well over 200 dollars

 

[S0rcy]

I took spare 2x4's and nailed them together, screwed on a melamine bottom, then stapled hardware cloth over the top. It's heavy, but it's tight. The cat can't get in it and the top can't be burned by the light if it falls. For the first week I put blankets on the bottom. The melamines pretty slippery and I didn't want them spraddle legged. After the first week I put in pine shavings and they've been doing well ever since.
Spare 2x4's are always available at home improvement stores, all kinds of scrap really

 

[swiftfoot]

yea i will have to look into that also
maybe i just need a bigger cardboard box

 

[tuskajones]

I use a kiddie pool ($15) and encircle it with cardboard 24 inches high. I suspend the brooder lights from a pole but you could use a chair or whatever to aim the lights. Works great! I have 27 two week old cornish x in there. They are getting tight now and they need to go outside soon but it has worked well. Nice thing about a round brooder is that they don't pile up the corners when they get excited.

Good luck!

 

[mmajw]

tuskajones
I use a kiddie pool ($15)

I was just going to say that. Walmart $8-$15.​

 

[swiftfoot]

i guese that would be a great idea
i may try that
i am just looking for a couple of ways to ponder on

 

[Bluedog420]

I use a 55 gallon fish tank with a top i made with wood and wire...because a snake crawled in and ate 7 chick's....work's great