Hello I'm brand new to this forum and basically new to chickens. I'm just getting started I have 30 chicks now with 10 more on the way. I messed up with my order and ordered 20 rhode island red pullets and 5 random pick chicks to get roosters. But somehow I got off the rhode island reds and ordered buff orphingtons on my random picks. When I realized my mistake it was too late to change. The breeder I bought from had a minimum order of 15 chicks and I have a limited space for my chicks in town so I didn't reorder from the same place. I found another breeder that had a minimum of 10 so I ordered 10 random picks from them in the rhode island reds. I will give the buff's away to a friend. I got a wood shipping crate from a local tractor dealership and put mechanic's cloth on the top of it but the slat sides had gaps between every slat. It didn't hold heat very well but I used it for about 2 weeks and it did ok. Then after I ordered the other 10 chicks I decided I needed to build a better brooder because I will be using it along as my chickens start sitting and hatching young. I went and bought 3 2x10x10 pine boards and 2 2x4x8's and 1 8' 4x4. I cut the 3 2x10's in 1/2 and laid 2 side by side then cut the 4x4's that width and put 3 under the bottom and used 3" torx head screws to assemble evertyhing. after that I took the measurements and cut the 2x4's to go from the bottom of the 4x4's up the side long enough to put the 2 2x10's for each side to the 2x4's. I then put 3/4 plywood for the ends and top. the top I cut in 1/2and made 2 doors. I used a porcelin light base and mounted it about 3" below the top. and drilled a hole in the back wall and cut the end off a 12' extension cord and wired to the base. I then cut out a 6"x 10" hole out of the top on the oposite end from the light and put 3/8" mechanics cloth over the opening. I also took a paddle bit and drilled 3 1 1/4" holes in all sides and end on that same end for ventilation. This brooder is doing great and I was using a 100 watt light bulb in the other box and the chicks stayed under it all the time. In this new box the 100 watt bulb was too much the chicks stayed at the other end of the brooder away from the light so I took the 100 watt bulb out and put a 70 watt bulb in and now they use the whole box and don't huddle under the light so it's a lot better. I was very lucky with my chicks I bought 25 chicks and after almost 3 weeks I have 24 that are growing like weeds. They have wing and tail feathers now and are doing fine. I have a 25'x 20' chicken pen with a covered top and a 10x10 shed on the end of it with 18 nest waiting for these chicks for their home. It has all the nessecitys in it already with walkways to the nest on 2 levels a roost in place and hanging feeders and watterers already in place for them. I'm about ready to put them out and get ready for the new arrivals to take their place in the brooder.
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