Stella is a complete care package. I have put day old chicks under her at night and the next morning she is teaching them everything chicks need to know. No fire hazzard with a broody on the job. She doesn't lay eggs anymore but she loves chicks.
:cd
That looks great! I have brooder-envy!My husband and I just spent the weekend building a brooder. Now looking at some of these and thinking it may not be deep enoughBut this will be awesome for our future chickies, duckies, and goosies. This is in the "halfway stage", we covered the raw edges of the wire, adding a trap door for the edge that is missing the bottom, and we have a trellis we are going to cut up and use on the top so when they get bigger they won't get out. It's about 2 ft deep (about 2" less because I could barely reach in there) and 4 ft x 5 ft. A little overkill, but I made it so it could be partitioned so either chicks of multiple breeds trying to keep separate, or just lots of room when they get a little bigger. Now to talk my husband into building a bigger coop with me!
That's a bloody good idea that
Here is my set up in a large plastic tub. I have a Brines heater that I adjust as the chicks get older. For feeders, I rigged up 2-inch PVC with a 90 degree elbow and short section of pipe to which I have attached an end cap that I cut at a 90-degree angle to form a little feeding trough. I cut holes in the tub to insert the feeders so I can mount them to the outside with zip ties and save room in the brooder. For water, I have a 4-nipple waterer on a short section of PVC with a hose connection. The hose is connected to an elevated 5-gallon bucket to which I have attached a garden hose fitting. I elevate the bucket enough that there is enough water pressure to supply the nipple waterers. Last year I used a rubber mesh mat cut to fit the bottom of the brooder and put pine shavings on top. This year, I did not even bother and just put the pine shavings in with no problems. I've tried various solutions to make the cleanup of poop on top of the heater easier (because the chicks love to get up there and poop), but I think contact paper is the best bet - just peel it off and throw it away when messy, then replace with a new piece. It sure beats scraping and scrubbing every few days. Lastly, I do have a simple screened top that can go over this because it is amazing how quickly the chicks figure out how to get out. Of course, the first thing they when they get out is to poop on the floor, so the top goes on after about a week or so.
That's the same thing I have! It works and that's all that matters!
