BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[SB Austex]

We are just starting our first small urban backyard flock. We needed something that was sturdy enough to keep out potentially excitable, very large dogs (we have 3). My sweetie is of the build it, don't buy it type. This was made from wood we had around the house plus wire and latches I purchased. The lid and floor panels pop off, which has been handy for cleaning. We will also be able to use it as a mini-tractor when they try the outdoors soon. (It is very warm here already).

 

[LilDucky85]

How many are in there? They look all cozy.

 

[SB Austex]

There are six in there.

 

[evergreenchicks]

Here's a couple of pictures of our "scrap" lumber brooder. We are trying to invest as little as possible into our coop and brooder and therefore are using as much leftover lumber from other projects around the house. The chicks seem to like it and really like it when we place fresh alfalfa every couple of days into the brooder. They go nuts for about the first hour eating all the seeds of the heads of the grass. They got their first foray into the "wild" today when we put together a small run for them. They had a blast playing tug of war with the worms and taking their first dust bath.

I think once we have the coop done we will build one in there as I like that idea. Currently they are in the living room and we have to worry about the cat and dog, hence the double screen top made from chicken wire stretch and stapled along with some scrap window screen from a screen that the dog ripped. So far it has kept the cat out, he likes to sit on top and watch the chicks and they don't seem to mind either. Chicken TV for all!!

 

[wsdareme]

We made our brooder out of a large Sterilite tub from Walmart. I found a piece of heavy duty screen at Home Depot (in the bbq supply section) that we inserted into the top. I mounted a small outdoor thermometer on the side wall on the inside. Putting the feeder and waterer on progressively increasing 2x6 scraps helps keep poop and shavings out. The foil around the heat lamp helps keep the temperature up in the brooder by directing the heat. I built them a small perch -- it is a big hit. They're just about ready to outgrow it (12 chicks at 3 weeks old) and we're trying to figure out if we can fabricate a 'duplex' to save money.

Here are some pics:

 

[chickygirl2]

How hot is it in that brooder? Those chicks look pretty feathered to me.............



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[grandmaof5]

Well, I have just spent most of my Sunday reading every page of this thread! I finally have found someone who has the breed I've been looking for, and there are eggs in the incubator as I type. I figure we have about 2 weeks (they've been in there about a week) to get things ready, so I thought I'd see what you have all been using as brooders. There are some pretty fancy ones here, and then some that have used recycled materials. I'm only getting 3, so I'm leaning toward the cardboard box for the first little while, with wood pellets as bedding. Should I put sand under the pellets, so they can scratch around and find it? I'm thinking it will only be a couple of weeks before they'll go into the (now unused) playpen that has been sitting in the garage since the last grandchild outgrew it. Thanks for the pictures, guys and gals...you are inspirations. I'll post pictures as soon as we get it all set up...

 

[SarahIrl]

I bought an outside garden storage bin (about four foot by just under two foot and two feet high) and have them in that with wood shavings, a small perch made from a broom handle cut in half and screwed into two pieces of wood 2" high. They are in a purpose built shed six foot by six foot, timber framed. The idea is to do away with the plastic brooder and build in two plywood brooders along one side wall. Then along the back wall put in two broody boxes with a small 4" high rail in front to keep in tiny tiny chicks. I have one 150 watt dull emitter heat lamp (it gives off no light, just heat, so chicks get day and night right from the off) and will add a heating system to the entire shed in time. Maybe a halogen light with dimmer mounted on the roof with a steel protector for the timber above. I reckon I can utilise the six foot square shed to allow for two brooders runnign at the same time, and also to seperate breeding pairs/trios for eggs next year. I'm only starting out, and have limited grass space outside, so have to be a little ingenious here!! I already have a large run for my three hybrids which will get fuller in the next three months when my three lav araucanas join them. Also a small tractor-without-wheels that will take three full grown birds as long as I move it around every couple of days. And let them out to stretch for a couple of hours a day. I am hoping to have as my own 3 hybrids, 3 lav araucanas, 3 buff orpington and 3 silver laced brahmas by the end of this year. I am also hatching eggs for others, so need the brooder space for that more than my own flock!!!!

This one shows my 'nursery' box, the red one, which fits into one end of the brooder for isolation. Also served as first brooder for the chicks when they spent the first few days in the house

Happy lav araucanas! Nine days old

 

[wsdareme]

chickygirl2 wrote: How hot is it in that brooder? Those chicks look pretty feathered to me.............

The temperature is around 80 according to the thermometer. They'll be 3 weeks old tomorrow. They don't seem to want to get far away from the heat lamp, so I'm assuming they are comfortable. We were more concerned about them being crowded so we actually modified their brooder and made it a "duplex". I was concerned about the new half being too cold, but the chicks were all roosting in the mid-way point between the two totes this morning. I've been letting their locations tell me more about their comfort level than the thermometer reading. Here is our new "duplex brooder", courtesy of my clever husband:

 

[SarahIrl]

It's only between 13C at night and max 18C during the day here and I only turn on the heat bulb at night, except for today is it rained all day and the air was very cool. Mine don't bother the heat lamp too much, they sleep off to the side of it. I use it more to keep the air warm than to heat the chicks/brooder. I'll turn it off completely within two or three weeks, they are only nine days old now and pretty well feathered. The wings and 'shoulders' are feathered nicely, just waiting for a few on their chests and bam, off with the heat lamp. They run about SO much during the day, they kid of keep themselves warm!