BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[chicklover23]

okay thanks alot

 

[kays chicks]

Plastic storage tub will work fine as long as they can get away from the heat and cool off

cheapest and easiest brooder !!

 

[chicklover23]

alright thanks

 

[mrsdszoo]

Ok, I know this thread is a gazillion pages long, but here is my brooder, for anyone interested in reading this far (or starting at the end). It is made of 2x4s, 1x1s, thin plywood (sanded project boards), and hardware cloth. My feeder is the plastic jar with a screw-on base, and two small animal water bottles are my watering system. The lamps are: a full spectrum "daylight \" heat bulb in the regular lamp, and a ceramic heat emitter in the black one (made for just such a heating element -no plastic parts) -these were left from our old -lady tortoise and keep two warm spots in our brooder at 91%. It is in our garage, raised off the floor to about waist high, and I cover the open end with a towel at night to keep the temp from dropping. I have 5 chicks in it that are happy as can be, and have plenty of room!

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Ok, I know this thread is a gazillion pages long, but here is my brooder, for anyone interested in reading this far (or starting at the end). It is made of 2x4s, 1x1s, thin plywood (sanded project boards), and hardware cloth. My feeder is the plastic jar with a screw-on base, and two small animal water bottles are my watering system. The lamps are: a full spectrum "daylight \" heat bulb in the regular lamp, and a ceramic heat emitter in the black one (made for just such a heating element -no plastic parts) -these were left from our old -lady tortoise and keep two warm spots in our brooder at 91%. It is in our garage, raised off the floor to about waist high, and I cover the open end with a towel at night to keep the temp from dropping. I have 5 chicks in it that are happy as can be, and have plenty of room!

See there? Somebody *was* payin' attention to this thread, after all ~'-)

Two waterers is an *excellent* idea, 'cause I've had my own contraptions fail a few times, but I'd kill the daylight bulb at night -- nothing more than a red glow, so they can get better rest.

 

[mrsdszoo]

Thanks for the red bulb suggestion; I've gotten a red reptile lamp for evenings, and it seems to be a hit. There seem to be sleeping babies more often when I check on them throughout the night (I don't sleep through the night, so I check chicks as long as I'm up anyway). A note about the waterers: I noticed one was getting the most use, so I switched the two when one got low. i thought the chicks would empty the second one before I had to refill the waterers, but I was wrong. The kept using their favorite waterer even though I had switched them! Then I checked to be sure the "favorite" one wasn't just dripping water, and it wasn't. They do drink out of both, but seem to prefer one over the other just a bit. Odd, no?

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Thanks for the red bulb suggestion; I've gotten a red reptile lamp for evenings, and it seems to be a hit. There seem to be sleeping babies more often when I check on them throughout the night (I don't sleep through the night, so I check chicks as long as I'm up anyway). A note about the waterers: I noticed one was getting the most use, so I switched the two when one got low. i thought the chicks would empty the second one before I had to refill the waterers, but I was wrong. The kept using their favorite waterer even though I had switched them! Then I checked to be sure the "favorite" one wasn't just dripping water, and it wasn't. They do drink out of both, but seem to prefer one over the other just a bit. Odd, no?

Glad you're hearin' that soft peepin' sound now ... your birds will suffer less stress, and it actually affects their tolerance levels for one another (just like us humans, I reckon ~'-)

I've two virtually identical waterers, and hang 'em alternately on the same two hooks, yet they'll empty the same one quicker than the other as well. Both splash a bit, which I'm gonna have to deal w/ due to the colder weather, but ... all appear essentially equal between the two, right down to the colors and wire used. Gonna inspect them both much closer now, and I'll wash 'em out w/ sand and soak 'em in a chlorine wash, just in case one has something on it that they're actually avoiding by going to the other waterer. If you were to try the same, and they still have the same preferences, we might be onto somethin' that should be explored more completely ~'-)

 

[flyingtnh]

Just finished our new brooder for use in the garage - temps dropping to 0F with 30ish chicks arriving. We'd been using a dog kennel before, but with a larger number of chicks (and plans for meaties this year), I'm building two of these guys, with plans to stack them. We may also use them to give our broodies some privacy this year (we free range normally), which is why I made it a bit taller than it needed to be (2'). Dimensions are 4'x4'. Tonight I'll add a divider box for the first few weeks to keep them contained and a bit warmer (without using all three lamps).

Cutout in back will allow the lamps to sit back there protected by chickenwire. I made them 2' high so that we could rotate them to fit through the regular door when we eventually move them to the feed room attached to our main coop (so I can get our car back into the garage).
Quote is: "How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers chicks under her wings..." (Luke 13:34b)

Floor made from foam playroom floor squares. Probably won't be running all three lamps ever - I've got a couple 250w red bulbs to put in, but looking for some 100w-150w so I can run two bulbs constantly (to provide protection in case one burns out) without spending 12kwh/day. Otherwise, I'll just grab a dimmer at Home Despot.

Should work OK. Garage rarely drops below 40F, so with the divider box, I figure it won't be a problem at all to keep at 95 first week.

 

[Frizzle13]

heres one i have made for next year

 

[BlueCamas]

Does anybody have a raised outdoor brooder designed for growing out chicks? I saw the perfect one on a breeder's website a while ago, but now I can't find it again. I'm thinking about making something to grow out bantam chicks that are old enough not to need a light but are still to small to integrate into a larger flock. I'm finding it really hard to describe, but if anyone has something along those lines I would appreciate pictures.