BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[aart]

Quote:

What should my temperature be in my brooder

About 90 degrees right under the light....... 75-80 degrees at the other end of the brooder...they need to be able to get away from the heat.

If the chicks are piled under the light, they are too cold.
If they are spread out as far from the light as they can get, they are too hot.
If they are running all around and resting near the light, they are just right.

You can use a dimmer extension cord on your light to adjust the heat out put....or raise and lower the light physically.

 

[rnchick74]

I've finally got my brooder completed!!!

Here is the top view:




Here is the inside view:


I was worried that the step between the 2 tubs was too high for the chicks, so I made a little ramp for when they are little. Since it is connected with zip ties, I can remove it at any point. When I am ready to move them to the big coop & store the brooder, the middle connecting zip ties get cut, tubs stack together and all brooder supplies can be stored inside. Down to the basement it goes!

Total cost $55 including zip ties and new blades for my utility knife. I'm also making a roost to be put into the brooder for when they are bigger...that brings the total to an even $60 including the $0.50 clearance paint. I'm very excited with how it turned out.

I have been taking pics every step of the way & blogging the instructions in case anyone wants to make one. I will update the blog with the final steps soon.

 

[Chicky Love]

Here's mine! We were thinking of adding vents on the side??? Thoughts?

 

[gibel-girls]

For the first 2 weeks we kept them inside so my kids could keep an eye on them, okay and me too
It was an old 45 gallon tote, leftover chicken wire from the coop last year. The only think I bought for it was the bulb, everything else was around the house which was awesome.

Then when I had enough they got moved out to the garage in an old kids pool(free) and more chicken wire. Soon they will be out in the coop with the bigger girls. Still cold here in Maine at night.

I love the simplicity of chickens.

 

[bearschicks]

just a shipping crate its 3'w 6' long

 

[COsteveo]

We bought a house and will no longer need to keep the TV box to safely transport the TV, so I turned it into a quail brooder. It's about 36" x 44". We stripped the astroturf from the back deck, so I cut a piece to fit. Every few days I can take the astroturf out, hose it off, and leave it to dry in the sun for an hour or two.

I added the mason jar feeder yesterday and half of the food is now scattered around the feeder. They don't seem inclined to eat it from the floor, but I don't feel inclined to give them more food to waste. We shall see who has the stronger will.

.

 

[survivorchick]

This is my chicks temporary home. They are growing fast so I'm not sure how much longer I can keep them in here. Any ideas what to do from here until they are ready to move out to the coop that is currently under construction?

[/IMG]

 

[twinbeaks]

Hello everyone!
I had several ideas about what to do for a brooder, then read someone's post about how they might use a dog crate ..... *ding!*..... we had a huge one in our garage I was about to list on craigslist! (FYI, it is 27" x 40" and we have 6 chicks) This was perfect for us, to protect the babies from our house dog and the two kids. I thought it might be useful for others to see how some of us have made a brooder and get some ideas, so I will start it out!


Here it is from the outside..... it is in our living room with the light mounted on the outside. As they have needed less heat I have slowly turned it to the left, lowering the temp each week.

Here is the inside. Thermometer is on the left (not in photo though!). Food and water are on a 4x4 post scrap to get it up a bit so they dont poop in it, or get shavings in it. We still wash out the water every day. It is also in the back so it stays cooler. I screwed in screws to hang the oak branch in there and they love it. The chick flapping is one of the two who are competing for the Queen of the Pecking Order. They fight for who is on the roost, and she is clearly telling the other one to get off! We use the deep litter method, and so need the bit of cardboard in the front to prevent shavings from coming out the front! We also stir it up everyday.

And here is our huge Lab protecting the babies.........actually, he is scared of them and backs away when we get them close to him, but he wants to look at them!

Can't wait to see everyone else's ideas!

Your 2nd photo............OMG soooo funny!

 

[twinbeaks]

We are useing the 50 gallon tub from walmart (3ft.3 inches by 1ft. 7 inches for 4 chicks.. getting big chicks), cost around $15. and we have a couple left over screens from old windows on top.

(hey didnt I just post these pics somewhere else

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..............sooooooooooooooooooo cuuuuuuute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickwatcher1]

Here is our brooder. It is a 35 gallon rubbermaid tub that cost about 8$ at Walmart. We did have a cover very similar to Jsto's cover a few posts up. We had 7 and it was great and very easy to clean. I kept them in my living room until they were about 5 weeks old, then they moved out into their house with a heat bulb of course.

I have a tub just like that. Don't you need holes in the bottom to allow carbon dioxide to escape?