Thanks to all of you and plenty of reading, I think the initial brooder I set up is FANTASTIC! Love it--day 2 and all 27 chicks made it through the night just fine. Giant dog crate, both halves connected, x-large puppy pads duct taped over wood shavings. Heat lamp attached securely to a microphone stand (easy to move up and down), two waterers, two feeders... The two halves are working out great because I can herd them into one half to clean the other and then back. Also works well for checking vents and overall health with two sides. But from reading what all of you have said, 24sf will not be enough space after week 2. We have a ginormous insulated Morton building where they are staying--most likely the place where their secondary brooder will be. Weeks 3-6, the chicks need 2sf per bird? Ultimately 4sf per bird or more for adults, correct? What should I do to make a secondary brooder? I was thinking of three watermelon containers with lights at either end, cut out and connected with zip ties and big wide doorways for them to get through. Any other relatively cheap ideas? I also found a HUGE screen patio system, all linked together that I could probably put in the garage. But what bedding over concrete? This is our garage--not really meant to be a barn. Could you show me pics and locations of your adolescent brooder? Or would you move them into the coop with a heat light at 3-4 weeks? And by week 2, I'll be back to work teaching. If chicks are checked/fed/watered at 7am, will they be ok until 2:30? Or do I need a mid-day chicken-checker? Sarah
I wouldn't bother with another brooder. Since you don't have older birds in the coop to worry about, I'd just move them to the coop with a heat lamp, possibly only at night, depending on temps and how insulated the building is. Chicks never "need' to be inside, they just need to be out of the wind and the wet. Mine are in the barn from day one and do fine, and move to the grow-out pen/bantam pen around 3-4 weeks during the summer.
I would love to show you pics of my brooder, BUT the system won't up load them today or yesterday! I took some 2x4 's and made three walls with them and put them up against a wall in my basement which was the fourth wall and used the concrete floor with wood chips on top of puppy pads, and I wish I would have done that from the start I forgot how fast they grow! Their coop was not ready until they were 4 weeks old, They still have not been outside yet, because we are still working on their run. My husband is making this an all summer long project so he doesn't have to do anything else on the my honey do list! I should not complain he is doing a good job just going to slow for what I want! If you have a coop ready I would put them in there if my coop had been ready I would have brooded mine in there from day 1. The one advantage to brooding in the house is your handling them more which in turn helps tame them. Just make sure you coop is predator proof before you do! Good luck!