Can you help me with brooder for chicks

[Fifithechick]

Hi guys, I been hatcing and selling chicks for past 2 years, and i haven't ever made a good brooder for my chicks, it was always some shitty wooden box. Can you give me ideas, pictures or anything else that could help me to make some good brooder for around 50 chicks? Just one thing, I'm on very limited budget.

 

[cherrynberry]

We used these plastic boxes. You would probably need a few for 50 chicks. They are about 5 dollars each.

 

[little chick-y baby mama]

a water trough is very good for lots of chicks. They are about $30

 

[CHlCKEN]

I wrote an article about Brooders, with tons of awesome ideas! I think you would find something for you in it https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/setting-up-a-chick-brooder-🐥.76291/

 

[Fifithechick]

Thank you guys!

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Do you have a section of a building you could section off for a chick brooder house?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Not sure what you have to work with. Are you brooding inside of a building or do you need something that will stand up to the weather? What kind of temperatures are you facing? I can't imagine brooding 50 chicks inside of your house but is it a climate controlled area? I brood outside in the coop, the temperature swings are my biggest challenge.

It's hard making suggestions without knowing what you have to work with. I can't see the opportunities being any different in Montenegro than in the US or anywhere else. The principles will be the same. You want something that provides predator protection and protection from the environment. If that is inside a building that can be easy. Some people get large cardboard boxes from an appliance store and tape them together for a nice large brooder. If it needs to grow just tape in another box. If it is exposed to the weather or predators it's a different issue.

You need to provide an area warm enough in the coolest conditions and an area cool enough in the warmest conditions. As long as they have the option I find my chicks straight from the incubator can manage that themselves.

You need access to it for daily maintenance, feeding, watering, and cleaning. How large it needs to be depends on how old the chicks are when you take them out. You need to be able to keep it dry. A wet brooder is a dangerous brooder.

It sounds like you are hatching several times a year so you might want something permanent. I appreciate you being on a limited budget. There is nothing wrong with reusing and recycling things. The chicks don't care what it looks like as long as it is functional. Sometimes people do. I do believe in building for your convenience, no need to make it harder to manage than you have to.

Some ideas for inexpensive materials. Do you have a social media program similar to out Craigslist where people in your area can list things for sale or maybe for free. Sometimes you can find a building for free if you will relocate it. Often you can find material for free.

Ask at construction sites for excess materials. Sometimes they use stuff as installation aids, maybe temporary supports or wood used to frame a concrete pour. When they finish with them they have to dispose of them. Here that could mean paying extra money to dispose of them as trash so they are happy to give them away.

I'll include a photo of my brooder permanently built into the coop. It's about 1 meter x 2 meters and will hold about 25 chicks until they are 5 weeks old.

Not sure if any of this helps or not. Good luck!

 

[Fifithechick]

Not sure what you have to work with. Are you brooding inside of a building or do you need something that will stand up to the weather? What kind of temperatures are you facing? I can't imagine brooding 50 chicks inside of your house but is it a climate controlled area? I brood outside in the coop, the temperature swings are my biggest challenge.

It's hard making suggestions without knowing what you have to work with. I can't see the opportunities being any different in Montenegro than in the US or anywhere else. The principles will be the same. You want something that provides predator protection and protection from the environment. If that is inside a building that can be easy. Some people get large cardboard boxes from an appliance store and tape them together for a nice large brooder. If it needs to grow just tape in another box. If it is exposed to the weather or predators it's a different issue.

You need to provide an area warm enough in the coolest conditions and an area cool enough in the warmest conditions. As long as they have the option I find my chicks straight from the incubator can manage that themselves.

You need access to it for daily maintenance, feeding, watering, and cleaning. How large it needs to be depends on how old the chicks are when you take them out. You need to be able to keep it dry. A wet brooder is a dangerous brooder.

It sounds like you are hatching several times a year so you might want something permanent. I appreciate you being on a limited budget. There is nothing wrong with reusing and recycling things. The chicks don't care what it looks like as long as it is functional. Sometimes people do. I do believe in building for your convenience, no need to make it harder to manage than you have to.

Some ideas for inexpensive materials. Do you have a social media program similar to out Craigslist where people in your area can list things for sale or maybe for free. Sometimes you can find a building for free if you will relocate it. Often you can find material for free.

Ask at construction sites for excess materials. Sometimes they use stuff as installation aids, maybe temporary supports or wood used to frame a concrete pour. When they finish with them they have to dispose of them. Here that could mean paying extra money to dispose of them as trash so they are happy to give them away.

I'll include a photo of my brooder permanently built into the coop. It's about 1 meter x 2 meters and will hold about 25 chicks until they are 5 weeks old.

View attachment 2553176

Not sure if any of this helps or not. Good luck!

Hi, thank you for your reply. I brood inside of a bilding, it's not isolated, so it's cold inside, but it protect chicks from predators. Temperatures are around 5-10°C at daytime, and under 0°C at night, outside the building. It's maybe 7-8 degrees warmer inside of whatever temperature is outside.

I made wooden brooder last year (1m x 2m) it was useful, but we needed to remove it. This year I want to make good brooder, that can hold 50 chicks until they are 1 month old. That is easy to access and grab chicks.

I hatch chicks for sale, I raise them until they are 2 months old, and then I sell them.

I'm looking for something like your brooder, the one that you posted picture of.

Here, in Montenegro, people would sell you rock, nobody will give you anything for free. I'll need to buy materials. I would buy wood and some wire, to make something like yours, as long as it's not too expensive. I always put heat lamp (350w) in brooder.

I know how to rise them, I'm selling them, I have been doing it for last 3 years. I just need some ides for brooder.

Can you take more pictures of your brooder, I would like to make something like that, just bigger?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't have that brooder any more, I moved. I'm not sure it would suit you anyway for that many chicks, too hard to get to them all.

I suggest you look at an Ohio hover brooder. I'll include a link. It does not have to be this fancy, all you need is an inverted shallow box and a heat source. Hot air rises and is trapped under the box. Your electricity costs should be a lot less with this than using a brooder like mine.

https://morningjoyfarm.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-build-ohio-brooder.html

One issue with this one is that you can't see under it. Even for 50 chicks it doesn't have to be very big, you should be able to lift it on edge.