BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[Artemis Moon]

Here's a picture of the inside

 

[9281022]

I'm a first timer and not even officially a chicken mommy yet! A few more weeks and couldn't be more eggcited! Here is a photo of my brooder! I made the grey one first, but sometimes I get nerdy, carried away and continue creating things so I came up with a breezeway and added another tote! (I'm a total DIY'er & crafter, also make jewelry) I have to move the dowel with the swing towards the other end yet, and I will be making a mama heating pad dome that I will keep in the blue tote. Figured blue will be where they could heat their tushes and the grey could be use for food/water/play! I still have to secure the breezeway, right now it is just sitting on the edges cut. I didn't want to permanently affix the breezeway because I would like to be able to break it down easily & store it when the time comes.

Hope it works well, what do you guys think?

 

[Small Farm]

I got my first occupants of the brooder today!!! A gold sex link and a black sex link!!! 15 more assorted fowl coming next week!

 

[Blooie]

Um, looks great! But I got a little concerned when I read that you are planning to put a heating pad "dome" in there. A dome just won't work, I'm sorry. It puts the heat too far up and away from the chicks' backs, where they need the heat. A frame that you can smoosh down in the center when they are tiny and then just pull up a bit as they grown is a far better bet than a dome. I hope I haven't misunderstood your plans - if so I apologize. But I didn't want you to use the system and hate it because the chicks couldn't stay warm enough.

 

[9281022]

Don't apologize, advice is wonderful in any direction! No, I seen your original post on the mama heating pad and was going to model after that. I even got the same heating pad, I need to pick it up today. I just see it as a dome, so in my head that is what I am calling it.

 

[koopmaster]

Her is the brooder that I made.  Its 4'x4' with a depth of 18" and the top is 3' off the floor so no more bending over.  Both sides of the top open and it can be divided to make 2 brood areas.  Needless to say it will hold alot of chicks.  Its worked out real well.

The lights are on the outside of the wire so there is no chance that they will fall into the brooder.  I put shavings down, then newspaper and then a piece of fabric to give the chicks a nice surface to begin with and after a few weeks I just take the cloth and newspaper out and they are on shavings.  The fabric can be washed and used again with the next batch. 


Georgia

Very nice, I want to construct something VERY similar, I hope that doesn't infringe your copyrights!!!!

 

[GranolaGirl72]

Neighbor called me a darn fool yesterday, but donated a dish drainer for me to make a broody hen for the kennel and told me I could have whatever coop building supplies are available around her farm. Her husband passed away 4 years ago, but he was always excited at the idea of us maybe getting chickens some day... Two questions. This is our first venture and the babies come into Town and Country tomorrow. Do I need to sit outside the store Black Friday style, or do you think I am good to wait until I get out of work at 1:00 as it is cash and carry only. Number two. If we want to end up with a flock of about 4 laying hens, how many chicks do you recommend we pick up? Is there a rule of thumb when considering chicks may die and some will be male that we will need to cull?

 

[ladynewtochicks]

Neighbor called me a darn fool yesterday, but donated a dish drainer for me to make a broody hen for the kennel and told me I could have whatever coop building supplies are available around her farm.  Her husband passed away 4 years ago, but he was always excited at the idea of us maybe getting chickens some day... Two questions.  This is our first venture and the babies come into Town and Country tomorrow.  Do I need to sit outside the store Black Friday style, or do you think I am good to wait until I get out of work at 1:00 as it is cash and carry only.  Number two. If we want to end up with a flock of about 4 laying hens, how many chicks do you recommend we pick up? Is there a rule of thumb when considering chicks may die and some will be male that we will need to cull?

I think it depends on the store and your area of you can wait or not, also the breeds you want... I'm convinced that chickens are trendy this year lol our feed store has been selling out in hours, my friend who works there said they have never sold out of chickens like they have this year. So I am totally a Black Friday chicken girl lol. I was there at 830 last week and the chicks got unpacked at 8 and there was already a line... And as far as chicken math I'm not really sure but I would get 5 or 6

 

[GranolaGirl72]

Ok, stopped by the feed store to assess what tomorrow would bring and found that the specialty chicks were in a day early. I am a mama again!!!! 2 buffs, 2 ee and one barred. I brought them home and this is the setup I made for the time being. The heating pad is set on high and under the towel and the whole works is actually set up on top of the box the heating pad came in. I cut the long narrow edge off. They cannot completely stand up in it, a little bigger than their bodies, but they all ran under it and got VERY quiet.....I propped open the center with a jelly jar for a little more room, and after 10 minutes I can see the barred and one of the EE have come out to peck at their crumbles. Will this be ok for a bit?

 

[melannrob]

Neighbor called me a darn fool yesterday, but donated a dish drainer for me to make a broody hen for the kennel and told me I could have whatever coop building supplies are available around her farm.  Her husband passed away 4 years ago, but he was always excited at the idea of us maybe getting chickens some day... Two questions.  This is our first venture and the babies come into Town and Country tomorrow.  Do I need to sit outside the store Black Friday style, or do you think I am good to wait until I get out of work at 1:00 as it is cash and carry only.  Number two. If we want to end up with a flock of about 4 laying hens, how many chicks do you recommend we pick up? Is there a rule of thumb when considering chicks may die and some will be male that we will need to cull?

It does depend on the store, but even where I'm at, southwest MN, the manager said he never had so many calls asking when the chicks are coming. I got lucky and ended up stopping by the store to pick up something when they came in. I bought four and the guy behind me bought the rest. Others came in a few minutes after and were a bit disgusted that they had to wait another week before the next shipment of chicks came in.

The chicks that came in were 90% gaurenteed to be pullets. I wanted three laying hens, so I bought 4 chicks in case one turned out to be a roo or didn't make it. So far, they are all doing great!

Good luck!