Brooding in the house is driving me bananas

[marie_martin]

I am so sick of the dust on everything. I don't have a basement or anything. I just have them out in the extra room but the kids like to go out there and watch tv and my computer is out there too. I am so sick of the smell and the dust. I clean the 3 brooders almost daily. I am so ready for them to go outside but I have my faverolles in the outside brooder right now until spring so I can build another coop. So inside is all I have. Any hints on keeping down the dust and smell. I use the pine shavings. And I of course have the plug in air fresheners but I am afraid to do anything more out there. Any suggestions would be great.

Marie

 

[shelleyb1969]

What works WONDERFUL for me, as I have 2 brooders in my home office, are furnace filters/air filters. I put them over the top of my brooders and they catch 98% of the dust. Plus they keep the air flow going.

 

[KellyHM]

I wish I could help you. Mine were driving me nuts so they got booted to a corner of the big coop (I rigged it w/ chicken wire) at 2 weeks old. I gave them a heat lamp, but I HAD to get them out of the house!

 

[Jenski]

Jah, if you're brooding Faverolles just send them up here!

Free up the space, end the dust, and I'll be the one tripping over winter chicks.

Sorry I don't have a more helpful solution; I just got a bunch of quarantined birds out of my house and garage and into their new coop, so I feel your pain. I still have shavings all over the house. ??! Still can't figure out how they managed to get EVERYWHERE.

Good luck! Keep scooping . . .

 

[shelleyb1969]

I forgot to mention that once the chicks get a little older, they will start jumping up (depending on how deep your brooder is) and pick at the filter material. When mine get big enough to do that, I just take my screen from my storm door (the screen part that you put in during the spring/summer) and lie that on top of the brooder and put the filters on top of the screen. Works great for me...I have COPD and can't handle too much of the dust.

 

[marie_martin]

Thanks so much for the helpful suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Marie

 

[BeardedChick]

What works WONDERFUL for me, as I have 2 brooders in my home office, are furnace filters/air filters. I put them over the top of my brooders and they catch 98% of the dust. Plus they keep the air flow going

That is a GREAT idea!

 

[johnmayersquare]

Quote:
Yes........the dust was my #1 problem with brooding in the house this spring and I had 12 at a time in here. I have 2 that I hatched 2 weeks ago and are driving me batty...I am now understanding why it is better to do it in the spring, when there is less chance of them freezing to death outside!

I actually wondered about using an air filter! I may try that tomorrow and see! Thanks for the tip!

 

[ItsSuzzie]

Ok,

My chicks are grown now, so I do not have a whole lot to offer here. But.

I do not have power, so I had broody hens in a seperate wooden box which I placed inside a Travel trailer. Yep dust, Yep pew. I just kept them clean and made a top for the box using 2x4's and chicken wire. That way my chicks would not jump out. Once they grow out of starter feed age, about 6 weeks old they have wings and feathers on their back and belly and outside they go into the coupe. The feathers keep in their body heat and so far, so good. I am not sure about the snow we just got. Hoping they are all ok in this cold. I am away from home today for medical reasons.

Good luck to you.