BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[chicken cooper]

I have a question and need your help. I currently have 5 chickens there used to be 6 but they bullyed my large astralop until she was bloody and had a large hole in her back. We took her to the vet. and nursed her back. We tried to re introduce her to the group in all ways suggested to no avail.
we then re homed her to a friend, Now we want to replace her and have ordered 3 wyandots from BYP. I plan on brooding in the kitchen for 3-4 weeks than I need to build a pen in the garage to keep them untill they are able to go out doors. Since I live in Ohio it will be awhile. What size pen should I consider? I want to be able to move it next to the big girls for a while when they are larger. I have 4x6 coop and a 5x10 dog run. I am adding 2 more panels to make the run 10x10 this late spring.

 

[OkChickens]

Here is mine I built out of pallets, it took 2 big pallets, 1 small one. It is 3X7 and it is 24 inches tall.
It took me about 3 hours total. Taking them apart took a while.

-Nate

 

[Raen]

Best I could find was 1 week 3 sq inches per chick, 2-3 weeks 6 sq inches, 4-5 weeks 9 sq inches and 6-8 weeks 1 sq foot. (this was in a book called "Hobby Farms Chickens")

I'm no expert, but I don't think this can be right. 3 sq inches is about half the size of a playing card. That would be 24 chicks in a space the size of a shoebox. Even at a day old, that's more than crowded.

I don't know what the answer to the "how big should my brooder be" question is, but surely they need more space than that.​

 

[BlossomSilkies]

We decided today to try some babies. Here is my brooder. Pine shavings for the floor,and some paper towels, medicated chick starter and water. They seem to have plenty of room. We have here all females, Silver Laced Polish, Silver Laced Wynadotte, and 2 Ameracaunas.

 

[NickyPick]

Yay, I can finally participate. Here's mine. It's basically the chick starter kit from My Pet Chicken. My folks got it for me for Christmas. I was just going to to the cardboard on top of a tarp, but then started thinking that I'd get too much stuff on the carpet when cleaning, so when Wal Mart put out their wading pools last week, I grabbed one for floor control. The peeps have a lot of room and so far, the only time I've seen them sleep in a pile is when I get up at 4:30 am. Most of the day, they sleep all spread out. I just put the shavings in yesterday and I can see I need to raise the one waterer a bit more.

Rae

 

[catdaddy66]

Temporary brooder until the permanent ones are built...

Here is one of the permanent ones. I know I will need to separate the chicks at around 3 weeks old.

This was made from a packing crate I found on CL's for FREE! I picked up 12.

 

[catdaddy66]

NickyPick, I am SO rude...

I notice you have the brooder in your house. If you keep up with the cleaning every day or two you should be ok, but if you wait you could be headed for a chick dust disaster!!

These little guys explode with dust after around 2 weeks of age and it is unreal how it gets on everything in the room. I mean EveryThing!! Just FYI from one who knows.

 

[NickyPick]

Catdaddy - we're no stranger to dust - 7 horses. or hair (got 2 Aussies). There's no place outside yet to put them and as this is my first batch, I don't have any idea of what my predator situation is yet. I have seen raccoons, possums, tom cats, foxes and hawks run through the yard before. i just hope I don't loose too many of my hens as I go through the learning curve.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
So where will you put them when they finally are old enough to go outside? Will you have to build something or will you br purchasing a chicken house and run?

 

[NickyPick]

We're working on the coop now. It's goign to be an 8X10 extension off the side of the barn with the run curving along the back side of the barn. It's my hope that when they get grown, I'll be able to kick them out in the horse pens in the afternoons for some free ranging. The pens are all wood and wire to keep the horses' from sticking their heads between the boards to graze (breaks boards) and the neighbors dogs from getting in and worrying the foals. I think it should be good for keeping the chickens in the pens too.