BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[gabbyscritters]

Hubby built a new brooder last year, it has worked out great. We have it in a hallway just off the kitchen and we can veiw the chicks from the living room too.
When I gave my requests for what I wanted ina new brooder he thought I was nuts having the clear plastic sides, the chicks love it! The chicks also love the Brinsea eco-glo heaters. It is muuch more natural for them, we call it momma heater. The chciks spend much more time buzzing around and then go under the heater to take naps, they also sleep very quiet at night.

We also switched to using wood pellets for bedding last year in the brooder. We used our pellets for our wood stove but make sure there are no additives. Thet work great, way less dust and absorb poops. We put puppy piddle pads on top of the pellets for several days, after that the chicks run around on the pellets.

The next change I want to make is setting up a nipple water system to have clean water available with less mess.

The brooder is 6.5' x 3', we usually put a cardboard divider in the middle as we hatch out 70 to 100 chicks from staggered hatches.

 

[tick22]

clear plastic sides.

That's a new one for me. The missus wants me to build another brooder box for her and I think I will steal some of your ideas. Glad you like the Brinsea eco-glo heater, been thinking of getting one. It looks like you have the 50 chick one. I would only need the smaller one as we don't do that many biddies at a time.... Any real problems with it that I should know about. (Set up, height etc???) My older brooder was wood, wire, heat lamps, ya know the normal type ones... and there is nothing wrong with it, just getting old....

 

[Colourful]

That is my old original brooder. It's great for starting day olds because it heats quickly and evenly.

But after a couple of weeks, the chicks are too big for it. They hit their head on the heat lamps and they truly do need more space, so I turned an old rabbit cage into a bigger brooder for 2-6 weeks old poultry.



I'll also pop a light in there, but I'm waiting for the fitting to arrive.

 

[ducksarecool12]

My brooder!!

 

[tdgill]

Here is our Brooder we made this weekend....its 2 ft wide, 3.5 ft long, and 3 ft tall

i like the 70 or 80 watt red floodlight bulb instead of white light. but great brooder!!!

 

[tdgill]

this is a watermelon box from the grocery store. it's so big can't get it all in the pictures but it works wonderfully!

good going!!

 

[tdgill]

And here is my Guinea brooder. They are mostly why my house smells like a barn. I think its the turkey starter they eat.

And this is my hospital. I had one chick with splayed legs who is now sneezing. She is much smaller than the smallest chick so I think I will reintroduce her when they all move outside.

wonder if it would be good to give her a companion chick??

 

[KBG204]

Ok I know it looks rough, but....
-its in the garage
-it has been 50 and below
The chicks are happy and warm I am happy to say it works! It is staying at 85 degrees

.

 

[KBG204]

Dimmer switch cant beleive I didn't think of that! Brilliant.

 

[Kasey]

This is my first time to ever have chicks and my first brooder box.

I got it as a set from the local Atwoods (like TSC). It came with the 8 yellow and white plastic cardboard type walls and the white rings that hold them together and with the PVC light holder and the zip ties to hold it up. Seems to be working great so far and it was easy on our budget ($25). It's about 3 1/2 ft wide and about 2 ft tall. We put it on a tarp in our metal shop with concrete floors and added pine shavings and the heat lamp, food and waterer. We will just put wire over top as the chicks get bigger.