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BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

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400
here's a picture of my brooder. I keep it in my bedroom. I have 9 chicks. I lined the inside and outside with cardboard to keep the shavings in (as much as possible) as well as keep my kitten out. I've added a roost (a large stick I found outside) that I put towards the back. The chicks love it. Never any complaints about lack of space. This is a large dog crate. Probably big enough for a German shepherd. The heat lamp has since been moved to the outside top of the kennel with a big laundry basket over it so my cat can't knock it down.
 
I'm sure that you are really happy with your setup, and it sure looks good! But I have a couple of concerns and I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention them.

It isn't going to be long when those chicks put out more dust than a windstorm in the Sahara Desert. And it's a nasty, powdery dust, difficult to clean and it's absolutely insidious = it gets into absolutely every tiny nook and cranny, like baby powder! It consists of normal house dust, dried skin and scales from the chicks' feathering out, and the scratching they do in the pine shavings and it could end up playing havoc with your health, especially if you are sleeping the room with them.

My other worry would be the plastic laundry basket over the heat lamp. If nothing else the plastic could begin to off-gas from the heat of the light but in a worse case scenario, the basket could melt. I see that your thermometer is in the center of the brooder. Do you know if the other end of it is cool enough to give them a spot out of the heat?

I'm sorry to be critical, but these are just things I noticed and wondered if you had thought about them. I freely and ready admit that I am not a fan of heat lamps at all for chicks or anything else for that matter, so maybe I'm biased. If so, I trust you'll excuse me.
 
I totally agree about the dust! Our chicks are in our gutted empty kitchen so they can make all the dust they want. I can't wait till they move outside and we can move forward with kitchen work again, and of course......more dust :/
 
Blooie said:
I'm sure that you are really happy with your setup, and it sure looks good!  But I have a couple of concerns and I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention them.

It isn't going to be long when those chicks put out more dust than a windstorm in the Sahara Desert.  And it's a nasty, powdery dust, difficult to clean and it's absolutely insidious = it gets into absolutely every tiny nook and cranny, like baby powder!  It consists of normal  house dust, dried skin and scales from the chicks' feathering out, and the scratching they do in the pine shavings and it could end up playing havoc with your health, especially if you are sleeping the room with them.

My other worry would be the plastic laundry basket over the heat lamp.  If nothing else the plastic could begin to off-gas from the heat of the light but in a worse case scenario, the basket could melt.  I see that your thermometer is in the center of the brooder.  Do you know if the other end of it is cool enough to give them a spot out of the heat? 

I'm sorry to be critical, but these are just things I noticed and wondered if you had thought about them.  I freely and ready admit that I am not a fan of heat lamps at all for chicks or anything else for that matter, so maybe I'm biased.  If so, I trust you'll excuse me.
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Thanks for your concerns, but I have everything in order. The area where the chicks are is thoroughly cleaned frequently. I have a toddler in the house, so I keep things neat and safe. The brooder (aside from the top and the very back) is lined with cardboard to hold most things inside. As for the thermometer, the entire front half of the brooder is cooled off. The light is pointed towards the back end. The chicks let me know if they are too hot or too cold anyways, and they've only once expressed being too cold, and I fixed the problem instantly. I am a stay at home mom, so I monitor them all day. As for the laundry basket over the top of the heat lamp, it is not heated by the lamp. The lamp is pointed in the brooder, and is secured to the bars on the top of the cage. I've tied it down so that it wouldn't be able to touch the lamp whatsoever. The laundry basket is to protect against my kitten jumping up and knocking the lamp. Again, I monitor it, and the heat lamp does not heat up the basket. In fact, I would assume that having a lamp attached to a Rubbermaid container would have potential to cause more harm than my little set up. I've done my research extensively and I have kept all my babies alive and happy, as well as my family happy and clean and safe. Thanks.
 
Another side note is that my chicks are almost completely feathered out and will be moving outside in the next couple of weeks. With the heat lamp, it's hard to get a good photo of how big and feathered my almost 5 week old pullets are.
 
lnhackford said:
Another side note is that my chicks are almost completely feathered out and will be moving outside in the next couple of weeks. With the heat lamp, it's hard to get a good photo of how big and feathered my almost 5 week old pullets are.
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This probably isn't the right thread to ask but I just saw your post. At what age do chicks get all their feathers? Mine are only 2 &1/2 weeks old and each day I see a new place on them where feathers are emerging!
 
RubyNala97 said:
This probably isn't the right thread to ask but I just saw your post. At what age do chicks get all their feathers? Mine are only 2 &1/2 weeks old and each day I see a new place on them where feathers are emerging!
Click to expand...
I believe around 6 weeks or so. Mine are just over 5 weeks and barely have any fluff left. I'm assuming it could vary by breed. My silkies are behind my polish babies. It's crazy how much they grow. I had someone chick sit for me while I went on a small trip last weekend, and they changed so much for only those 3 days!
 

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