Brooder setup in a hurry

[Gypsi]

I have an old wire brooder, heat lamp water bottles. I do not remember if i should just have staw over the wire, maybe a shoebox nest box? Its been 8 years, I'm out of practice. Pic for tax, i moved to diy incubator for temporary from the nurture right

 

[Kiki]

What size is the wire in the brooder?
I would be afraid the heat lamp would catch the hay on fire. Heat lamps get REALLY hot.

Can you post a picture of it?

 

[Gypsi]

Its about 24 inches tall, 18x24 wide. I usually put 3 or 4 inches of straw in the bottom

 

[Gypsi]

Fairly large wire. Given to me by my chicken mentor about 2012. Sideways pic, cardboard on back will help with drafts. I had to water plants before setting it up

 

[Gypsi]

Seems like slick surfaces like cardboard cause splayed legs

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where are you brooding, in a climate-controlled area or outside with changing temperatures. That has a lot to do with how you manage heat. I brood in a 3' x 6' brooder outside in the coop where the temperature can go from freezing to 70 F in a day. I use a heat lamp and keep one corner toasty in the coldest temperatures and let the rest cool off to ambient so they can find a comfortable temperature.

I don't like using a heat lamp inside. You can use lower wattage bulbs to keep the heat lower but with space typically limited you still have a tendency to overheat them. People have been using heat lamps for over 100 years, not just to keep chicks warm. I do not use that clamp to attach it, I use wire or chain so it cannot fall. I haven't had a problem. If you don't use it properly, they can be a fire risk but then so can anything electrical. Check the CDC reports on deaths and burns from heating pads. If used properly heating pads are really safe.

My brooder has a wire bottom. I elevate it so the poop drops through, keeps the brooder clean and makes it easy to clean up the poop. That might make a mess if you are brooding in your house.

In winter I put a piece of plywood on the wire under the heat. That helps keep them warmer. To clean, I tilt the plywood and brush it off through the wire bottom. If you want to put hay, straw, wood shavings, or other bedding in there you can. Nothing wrong with that at all, you just have to manage keeping it clean.

Other than keeping one area warm enough in the coldest conditions and an area cool enough in the warmest conditions I don't have a lot of rules for brooders. Well, I try to not over crowd them. That can lead to behavioral issues.

Yes, slick surfaces like cardboard or newspaper can cause leg problems. Some people put paper towels down, they are not slick.

Good luck!

 

[Gypsi]

I am brooding indoors at least for a couple of weeks, have a small heater in the room that keeps about 72 degrees . Thank you for the tips. I have some adjustments to do before i move chicks in. There is a wire roof on the brooder so i can keep any heat source away, i never heat my outdoor coops. Right now all chicks are at 99 degrees in incubators so i need to get this set up

 

[Gypsi]

I think heat lamp will heat that whole room adequately, pulling my space heater out and elevating over brooder cage. I don't run my central heat
So much wind thru attic where ducts are it just burns money

 

[Gypsi]