Brooder today (pic at bottom) NEW PICS

[mjdtexan]

Gonna finish the brooder today and I guess make a decision on which pullets to order and who to order from. Getting a little eggcited

 

[debilorrah]

I was over the moon when we got our chicks. They are now 6 1/2 weeks old and the cutest things!!!! They see me coming and run to me. They all line up with their necks craning out trying to get a look at me.

 

[mjdtexan]

Its taking longer than I thought. I have the bottom built. Now I just need to build the cage part. I am gonna smoke a marlbaro and drink a black cherry (Big K) and then get back to it. Going through the brooder pics to decide how I want to do the top. Going after a reostat in a little bit

 

[mjdtexan]

I got the top on it today and three sides. I built it up with a shelf on the bottom. If I were a carpenter and I was getting paid by the square foot, i'd be hungry. Its taking me forever.

All I have left is the two doors in the front, a lamp and a reostat.

I think I put this thread in the wrong area

 

[mjdtexan]

 

[packinaglock]

Looks good so far

 

[TT]

Quote:
That's how I feel everytime I work on something - it always takes way longer than I think it should. Of course I usually change the design several time during construction

Looks good so far.

 

[mjdtexan]

Here is some more progress of the brooder

Have I done it correctly, would you change anything, can you think of something you might do better?

I still have to trim it out and paint it. Gonna paint the "body" white and the trim barn red. My mother is going to paint little chickens on it. She is an awesome artist. Benifit to living next to Mom and Dad. She's the one who really wants the eggs.

 

[jaybme]

That is gorgeous! You will do great in it.

My two cents-

Out of three brooders, I have learned something with each.

As the chicks grow, they get messier and messier with the shaving getting kicked ALL over. One of my brooders has the floor level with the hardwire front, so shavings and poo pitch out daily, making a big mess. I finally installed a 4" board across the front to block a large percentage.

Having the water and food on the floor worked well while they were young, but about 4 weeks they really start messing it up with the scratching and play, so the water is fouled and the food is buried. I elevated on a board and then and elevated onto a brick, but then they started hopping onto it and tipping it over.

I will definitely get a hanging one for the 5-8 week old ones next time around. My last two are finally 8 weeks old and outside for the first time tonight.

I put in a nice heat lamp and promptly started smelling hot wood, feathers and poo.

Ugh. Back to a regular light bulb- 75 for the first two weeks ( moved up the second week) then a 60 watt, moved up the second week, and finally a 40, moved up again. The 7th week I turned it off days, on at night, and the last week off all the time.

What a difference the light off makes- they really sleep.

If I had it to do over again-( sure I will!) I would make my brooder taller so the red lamp I bought would not cook the brooder. WHo knew when I bought it it was the the one used in the huge poultry house brooders.

Enjoy your babies! Jayne

 

[mjdtexan]

Quote:
Thank You very much for those tips. I would have never thought either would have been an issue.

Congradulations on your eight week old chicks.

I bet they sleep better with the light off.

I am gonna put a linolieum (who knows how to spell that) floor in it to make clean up easier. There should be a problem with that should there?

So, I guess pine shavings are what I am supposed to put on the floor? How thick?

Congradulations on your eight week old chicks.