Brooder size question and ideas wanted

[ChickNanny13]

Read up on MHP (heating pad) by Blooie in the Raising Chicks forum. Since I tried it, have not regrets. I raise chicks in a huge plastic bin in the house under MHP for a week for observation, then they go out into the brooder in my patio (3x8) with the MHP. It's amazing how DUSTY & stinky they get fast.

Another thing I've learned from BYC Members - Fermenting feed (Feeding & Watering forum). Yes some do not advocate it but I the benefits are a blessing. Aside from the nutritional benefits, there's no feed wast cause they're not scratching crumbles all over & dust at the bottom of the bag goes right into the mix, the poo is firmer & there's less of it plus it don't stink, except the cecal it still stinks.

Have learned and still learning from EVERYONE here ... THANK YOU ALL BYC MEMBERS!

 

[AllenK RGV]

If you brood them indoors as I did, you are going to upset the Janatorial Staff. If you are the Janitor you will never attempt this again. Would you be so kind as to add your location information to your Account then choose personal details and then fill in the location box for us. You wouldn't like my idea of how to brood them this time of year as I have 87F highs and 70F lows for the rest of the week unless you live in a similar environment to me.

edit- Replaced "cleaning Lady" with sex neutral terms.

 

[lazy gardener]

Chick dander is absolutely horrid. Imagine a super fine oily sandy silt that covers every surface, including vertical ones! By the time your chicks are 2 - 3 weeks old, they should have 2 s.f./bird.

I brood my chicks with the MHP system. They start out in an appliance box in my garage for just a few days. As soon as I'm sure they are eating and drinking well, I trundle chicks and their MHP to their outdoor grow out coop. By the time they are 3 weeks old, they are using the loft coop section and flitting back and forth from loft to their lower level run. Walking into that coop is almost like walking into an aviary full of parakeets. They just LOVE to fly! Night time temps get down to 20's. My chicks are content and well adjusted to day/night routine. They go to bed at dusk, and trill themselves to sleep. In the morning, they are up and eating breakfast, playing in coop and run, only returning to their MHP if they feel the need to warm up.

In comparison, the heat lamp chicks are up and down 24/7, falling into little piles of narcoleptic chicks, while their flock mates party on, running over their sleeping buddies. So, the sleepers get woken from their naps, to join the party animals, until a few more crash, and the cycle repeats it'self day and night. They never get a full night's rest. They never trill themselves to sleep. They never experience natural day/night cycles. When they are finally weaned from their heat lamp, they are terrified of the dark.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I guess I didn't think they would smell that bad? If I kept it clean? LOL...I now have my doubts!

I only had 3 chicks (brooded in a bathtub) and by 5 weeks I could smell them from down the hall. Plus the dander they left reached all the way up the shower wall, to the overhead window, across to the sink... it's like cleaning a greasy kitchen, words can't describe it!

 

[Peter.J]

I wouldn't recommend keeping them inside, it will stink, and that 'cute' chirping isn't so cute at 2am... Garage/shop/shed is where you'll end up moving the brooder to...
Those big cardboard watermelon boxes grocery stores have make great brooders up until they're ready for the coop; you can even put a 2x4 through the holes on the side for when they start wanting to jump around. Just remember to have 2 light/heat sources in case one of them burns out etc. Don't wait until June, get started asap, you could be getting eggs in July!

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Dust, office, computers, printers.

Hmmm, such a hard choice


Gary

 

[jreardon1918]

Brood outside. Lat year was our first go round. We did it inside. We raised 7 chicks. Went well for 3-4 days and then it started to get less right by the day. Yuck. Next time (2019), MHP, in the coop or run. This should work especially well where you are not integrating with an existing flock.

*edited to correct auto-correct

 

[Joeschooks]

I guess I didn't think they would smell that bad? If I kept it clean? LOL...I now have my doubts!

I've never had a problem with smell but I do keep the brooder very clean. I generally add a new layer of shavings after two days or so, then after another two days I scoop the lot out and replace. Then two days later I add another layer, then I replace... you get the idea. I get through a lot of shavings but I buy the big bales for £7 and that lasts for a whole clutch of chicks. (That doesn't change the fact you'll still want them out of your house quickly though !!)

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I've never had a problem with smell but I do keep the brooder very clean. I generally add a new layer of shavings after two days or so, then after another two days I scoop the lot out and replace. Then two days later I add another layer, then I replace... you get the idea. I get through a lot of shavings but I buy the big bales for £7 and that lasts for a whole clutch of chicks. (That doesn't change the fact you'll still want them out of your house quickly though !!)

X2...a dry, maintained brooder really isn't smelly. Generally smell develops from wetness (spilled water) and poor maintenance. Preventing water spillage and adding a fresh layer of clean bedding over soiled bedding (I don't strip the brooder...I will remove wet spots if spills happen) keeps odor from being a problem. The dust and dander, though........ugh!

 

[coloradowildflower]

I agree that the dust may be problematic in your office space. It really is a lot of dust. I also agree that it's best not to separate into two groups if you can help it. They'll have an easier adjustment to flock life if they are together from the beginning.