built a brooder have a few ?'s

[hunterjumper999]

I made a brooder ( my first!) and it's 3' wide by 8' long it is 2 ' deep. . . It is divided into 2 halves, with slots for plywood dividers to make 4 2x1.5 sections. The top is plywood, with screened windows cut out. the windows also have hinged covers that i can drop down or prop up depending on if the brooder is hot or cold.

how many chicks per 1/2 ( 4 foot x 3 foot)

how many per 1/4 brooder?

I have a light in each side right now, at half height... since the chicks are 5 days old. I can adjust the light height.

The floor is hardware cloth ( wire) but I have straw in the brooder as well, just under the light, but everyones feetzies are doing well.

I confess, I did not get a new thermometer yet... but I'm willing to bet the ROOM is about 78 degrees plus the lights in the brooders.

incase anyone was wondering here is my parts list and I spent 65.00.

hardware cloth
hinges
4 sheets Plywood
8 1x4's
2 2x4's

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Somewhere, you can find the minimum square footage requirement for each peep and it increases as they grow. I want to say it's like 1/4 square foot per peep when they're just babies and then 1 sq. ft. each by the time they're 6 weeks. Something like that.

 

[catdaddy66]

Napa Valley is correct. Those seem like a lot of chickes in the brooder, but am planning to divide the flock as they grow and break off smaller groups to other brooders. That way they are never overcrowded (i.e. stressed).