Brooder tote/bin recommended?

[Bluemonster107]

What is a good size plastic tote/bin for a brooder, estimate of 10 chics? I have seen mentioned to get rounded corners so they don’t get smothered in a corner.. not sure if that happens with a small bunch but any brand recommendations would be great

 

[PirateGirl]

You would need about 1.5 square feet of brooder space per chick up to 8 weeks (generally they are out of the brooder by then), so you would need about 15 square feet of brooder space, so about 3 ft x 5 ft of brooder space

 

[Bluemonster107]

....so about 3 ft x 5 ft of brooder space.....

Really??? That large for such tiny hatchlings? I thought I remember reading somewhere about 75qt tub or something like that? I would be afraid with the little guys.. they would wander to far from heat

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2
A plastic bin is expensive and not expandable as they grow. I like to brood out in the coop but if you are brooding indoors, I prefer cardboard boxes that you can add more boxes cutting doorways between the boxes when more space is needed.
Large moving boxes at Lowes are about $1.40 each and are a good size to start 10 chicks for a few days, then you can add a box putting heat source in one box, food and water in another. When you're done, you can compost the boxes, bedding, feces and all.
I don't like the shape of the Home Depot boxes. Footprint is too small and they are too tall.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Really??? That large for such tiny hatchlings? I thought I remember reading somewhere about 75qt tub or something like that? I would be afraid with the little guys.. they would wander to far from heat

If you are talking about chicken chicks, they grow very fast and precocial chicks are very mobile. Once they know where the heat, food and water are, they'll find it.
They don't need the whole space warmed. They are more comfortable and healthy with one warm spot and lots of cool space.

 

[PirateGirl]

http://www.backyardchickenelearning.com/what-size-brooder/

It starts out as less than a square foot per chick, but by the time they are 8 weeks they need the 1.5 square feet. I just went with the oldest/biggest amount of space when I first answered as they grow quickly and ultimately that's how much space you need. I prefer to have a brooder setup they can use the whole time instead of having to make a new one a week or two into it to give more room. If you want them to have less space in the beginning, I'd still use the big brooder and just put a partition in it so they don't have access to the entire space and then once they are about 2 weeks old, remove the partition.

 

[le_bwah]

For quail, I found a generic 50 gallon tote sufficient to hold a heating plate, food and water, and 10 young chicks. As they started getting bigger, I got another tote (thrifted) and connected the two via the body of a plastic pitcher. Worked fine for the month they were inside, and you could feasibly connect as many containers as you want this way.

 

[PirateGirl]

oops... sorry, scratch all that, I jumped in from the recent discussions board, I did not realize we were talking quail and not chickens!

 

[Bluemonster107]

If you are talking about chicken chicks, they grow very fast and precocial chicks are very mobile. Once they know where the heat, food and water are, they'll find it.
They don't need the whole space warmed. They are more comfortable and healthy with one warm spot and lots of cool space.

I was talking about “coturnix quail chics” I could of sworn I posted in the “quail” section of forums... super sorry if I didn’t!!

 

[PirateGirl]

I was talking about “coturnix quail chics” I could of sworn I posted in the “quail” section of forums... super sorry if I didn’t!!

oh, you did, but on my computer all recent discussions pop up and it doesn't say which section they were posted in until after you click in further, you are posting in the right place!