Chicken compound build thread.

[SixPack]

What you ppl think of this brodder box? It's our first time with chickens, not sure if it's to small for them at this point?

 

[TerryH]

What you ppl think of this brodder box? It's our first time with chickens, not sure if it's to small for them at this point?

It's really small. Not going to work for very long at all. How are you keeping them warm?

 

[aart]

Quote: Ditto Dat^^^

 

[SixPack]

I have a heat light hung over top.
Ya, I'll have to get w bigger box! They grow quick!!!
Thanks

 

[aart]

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[SixPack]

Thats a good bit of info! Thanks
I have been using a thermometer to monitor temperature and dropping it a little bit at a time.
I've been looking for clues from the birds similar to what you mentioned, and as its my first go at birds it's just a guessing game, mixed with info from the Internet.

Gonna get them a bigger box! thanks again!

 

[BootsMcgee]

Quote:

 

[SixPack]

My buddy was takeing the dog fence out of his back yard, went over and helped him and he gave me the old fence.
Should be excellent stuff for building my chicken run
And the price was right! It's all galvanized too.

 

[SixPack]

Still wet and cold.. But with them birds growing like that I'm gonna have to carry on with construction none the less.
Made a fire in the shed and started working away in there a bit, getting stuff cut to length and ready to go together.

 

[SixPack]

You can see all the cedar siding there in the left of that picture a bit.
The plan is to start putting the siding on sides and back of the shed once the hen house has a roof on it.
And all he shorts/ off cuts can be used for siding on the hen house.
Should be a pretty fancy shack when it's complete.
Got a nice pic of the shed there last week! I'm not in construction as an occupation, but i find building stuff is very rewarding/ satisfying