Brooding my chicks in a TENT! 🐥

[The Moonshiner]

Definitely! I usually keep my chicks in my bathtub but I like this idea because they get more room to move around!

Eww, so you quit bathing?

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

This is awesome! Do you have a heat lamp on them or no?

 

[ChickyCh00k]

This is awesome! Do you have a heat lamp on them or no?

Thanks! No heat lamp. Brooder plate and heat mat.

 

[RubelliteRose]

Thank you for that perspective! I was warned about the dust and I did get quite a large air cleaner for the bedroom they're in to try and cut down on some of that. I'm also hopeful that the tent itself will contain much of the dust (because of the way it's designed), but only time will tell! The dust situation is another thing I'll definitely be updating on here as time goes by! Experiments!!

Great idea! I'm looking forward to your updates, especially concerning the dust. We brooded our first chicks in the house (for way too long lol). They were fine for the first few weeks, but let's just say that by the time we finished building the coop, it was a good thing we used a room we were planning to gut and redo anyway. So much dust!!
On the plus side, all those girls are super friendly and we loved being able to spend so much time with them

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Great idea! I'm looking forward to your updates, especially concerning the dust. We brooded our first chicks in the house (for way too long lol). They were fine for the first few weeks, but let's just say that by the time we finished building the coop, it was a good thing we used a room we were planning to gut and redo anyway. So much dust!!
On the plus side, all those girls are super friendly and we loved being able to spend so much time with them

I will be sure to update with any dust issues that may arise (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I've taken enough preventative measures and the tent will do a good job of keeping it at bay ). The good news is there's no carpet and no furniture in the room - it was essentially empty - so if we do get *dust bombed* it shouldn't be too difficult to clean up once the chicks are outside (and I'll be pleading for clean-up advice)!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

The brooder is back to hemp bedding! That shredded paper had to go. It was very soft and fluffy, but super messy with the poops - sticking to little feet - and starting to get a little smelly after only a few days.

Things I'm noticing with the chicks (that don't have anything to do with the brooder, lol):

The Buff Orp chicks have much more wing feathering than the Barred Rocks. It's very interesting to see how they change just a little each day.

Buffy (I know, suuuuper original name ) has the most distinct colors of all the B.O. She's getting a lot of tan, while the others are staying more yellowish.

Coco is the runt of the pack - she's so tiny and cute - and those itty bitty wings!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Added some enrichment to the brooder! At nearly 2 weeks old, the chicks are getting curious and adventurous, but they're cautiously exploring the new *play ground*.

They're a bit less interested in me when I hang out in the brooder now, but if I stay long enough, all 8 of them will be sleeping on my lap.

Still not wanting to use the bucket feeder. I gave in and put the little green one back in, afraid they weren't getting enough to eat.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but maybe the feed is just too hard for them to reach in that bucket feeder yet and they'll use it more when they're bigger?

Don't worry too much about them being less interested in you; many (not all, but many) chicks go through a phase where they don't want anything to do with their keepers. This generally passes after a few weeks.

 

[3KillerBs]

I had no luck with a homemade no-waste feeder with my chicks. They just couldn't reach the feed.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but maybe the feed is just too hard for them to reach in that bucket feeder yet and they'll use it more when they're bigger?

Don't worry too much about them being less interested in you; many (not all, but many) chicks go through a phase where they don't want anything to do with their keepers. This generally passes after a few weeks.

I had read that about the chicks losing interest in their human when they got to be adolescent/teens, lol. They change literally every day! I'm not overly worried about them ignoring me, as I believe that just being present will keep them friendly toward me (or at the very least not terrified of me, so I can do health checks easily). They eventually hop up to visit me, but it takes a lot more time than it did a week ago!

I think you're probably right about the feeder. It was resting on the floor, but they just kicked bits of hemp inside, so I put it up on the small bricks. Most of them can reach it, but I don't think they like sticking their heads in the dark holes . I use my finger to bring some of the feed onto the lip of the hole, and they eat that right up, but that's about it. I'm guessing, like you said, once they're a bit bigger and can see inside more easily, they'll probably use it more.