chick bath tub brooder help!

[dntd]

I decided to start my chicks off in a unused bathroom bathtub. I have 28 coming in on tuesday though on thursday 12 will go to thier new home. Should I section the tub at first making it a smaller area or will the large tub not cause any problems for the day olds? Also with 16 chicks should I have 2 waterer's?

 

[Red&Yellow]

Yes to two waterers, but no it shouldn't be too much room for them. Your set-up sounds good.

 

[keeko]

I did the same thing when my 26 chicks from McMurray arrived 2 weeks ago! Only it was our master bathtub, but I was willing to make the sacrifice! I had split the order of chicks, so I ended up with 11 in the bathtub brooder when all was said and done. They did very well with one waterer, one feeder, and one heat-lamp suspended over the tub with a tension rod. I placed the lamp closer to one end, and the waterer and feeder closer to the other end, so they got exercise moving back and forth between. It also helped when they became a little too warm, they could all sleep on the other end, and vice versa if they were cooler.

Also - I lined the tub with broken down cardboard boxes (going just up the side of the tub as well). This protected my tub from chicks pecking, and protected the chicks from the cold, slippery tub if they dug under the pine shavings. The tension rod was great because I could easily move it up or down if the chicks needed more or less heat.

However, it only lasted for about 2 weeks, almost to the day. I had to move them out to a larger cardboard box brooder in our mudroom. I thought I could keep them in the bathtub for up to 3 weeks, but they were quickly learning to fly up and roost on the rim of the tub. I even found one wandering the bathroom! That was it, they needed more space!

I found it a great way to start them off since they were in the house and very close by; I could check up on them often, and heard if anything was going wrong. It also encouraged me to play with them and handle them more since they were in the house!

Good luck!

 

[Jeffomatic]

I thought raising chicks in the tub was MY idea! It works great for a while, when they're little! I only have four black Australorp pullets. I am doing it on the cheep (pun intended) because I am laid off right now. I used an old fixture with a pie plate shade, and am using dry grass raked out of my lawn for litter. Feeder and waterer are heavy glass dishes I had, with a smaller inverted bowl in the middle so they won't walk in them. I am feeding them medicated crumbles from the feed store. I'm thinking about a run and coop now, so that's one reason I subscribed, to get ideas. That too will be made as artfully as possible out of odds and ends to save money. (I think I have some chicken wire somewhere.) Fortunately I have a large yard with a good high fence!

Everything I read says black Australorps are good layers. We'll see.

 

[dntd]

I was planning on adding a screen cover for extra protection ,so we don't have any escapees, we have the supplies all read so it isn't costing us more.What do you put the chicks after 2 weeks?

 

[dntd]

I was planning on adding a screen cover for extra protection ,so we don't have any escapees, we have the supplies all read so it isn't costing us more.What do you put the chicks after 2 weeks?

 

[keeko]

For 4 girls, you might be able to get away with it for longer if you don't mind finding them all over your bathroom! With 11 girls, I had to find another space for them. I taped 3 large boxes with the top flaps upright. I put all three boxes together and just cut a little door in each one for them to walk through. It's really nice because they can have their own space, and a few can go off and explore, while the others stay near the feeder. I also put in some thin branches to act as roosts. This was very easy, and FREE since I had old cardboard boxes from when we moved in (easy to find if you go to a recycling center), and the branches I just grabbed from outside. The girls LOVE love love the extra space...you can tell they're so happy to not be climbing over each other. I put some light chicken wire over the top to keep them from flying out (because with roosts, they WILL!). It's a great set-up, I'd recommend it

To answer your earlier question, I think it's totally fine to leave them all together in the bathtub, as long as you know which ones you're giving away on Thursday! It will be tight, but for 2 days they'll be fine. I'd agree on two waterers and maybe even two feeders (or just put some feed in a dish so they can peck at it freely. They won't start scratching out the feed til they're a bit older). But absolutely make sure you have waterers that are MADE for chicks, not just a dish filled with water. It's very easy for a chick to drown in a dish of water. I was watching one of my blk Australorps fall asleep near the edge with her head falling into the water. One of those times, she didn't come back up, and if I wasn't there to pick up her head, I'm sure she would have drowned herself! Babies are very sleepy those first few days

Also, for the first day or two, line your brooder with paper towels so they don't peck on the shavings. It also helps to pick up the feed that gets spilled!

good luck and have fun!

 

[Ctptcha]

I have four two-and-a-half week old ducklings who absolutely love the tub! I put some paper towels in some corners of the tub, closed the drain, put a tiny bit of water in and put in a bowl of food. They get way too overheated with even the tiniest heat lamp close to them so, to give them just a bit of heat, I keep the light on. They love the tiny puddle of water in the tub (my tub slopes down), which mimics a pond, and of course, they love to stand around in it and drink it

. My favorite part of this setup is that, when I need to clean it, I just throw away the paper towels and rinse the tub!
Good luck!

 

[Jacqdiva]

We did the same except we went to the recycle centre and got an old screen door to protect them from rats and snakes, as we have them downstairs under the house, in our garage laundry area. We are in QLD Australia, so pythons are an goannas are a problem. The old screen door worked a treat.