CLOSED - NYD Hatch-along Contest #4: Most Ingenious Chicken Product Design

[Brechin]

If you post something during week #1, and it doesn't win, can you resubmit it again for week #2?

On the main contest page with all the contests listed on it, this particular contest states that it is a two part contest. Part one is also WEEK 1 where you submit your entry for the most ingenious chicken product design. Part two is WEEK 2 where a poll is set up for BYC members to vote for the best design and overall winner of the contest. So WEEK 1 is the time to enter your idea. Good luck!!

 

[Chickflick2]

This is a “REAL HANDY” brooder (My Portable Baby Pen) that my husband and I built out of a Christmas tree storage bin. After I hatch out chicks, I like to keep them in the house for a few weeks (you know, cause I like to play with them :-) and this allows me to house quite a few chicks with no fuss or mess. I set up the heat light at one end, which allows the chicks plenty of room to get under it or away from it. The high sides help to hold the heat in and it also prevents any shavings from being kicked out.

I also like that you can just open half of it, which makes it easy to keep chicks in when feeding, watering, and changing bedding. The pen is 51 inches long, 19 inches wide, and 11 inches tall from bottom of pen to the screen when it's closed. It has wheels on the bottom of one side, making it easy to move, and is very lightweight.



The screws are drilled into the top thick edge, then when you pull the screen over them, the lip on the screw allows the lid to close snug and tight.



I use portable (and inexpensive) filters to lay over the top after they have grown a few weeks and things start to get dusty. The chicks seem to feel safe when they can run under there. I guess they don’t realize we can see them through the clear sides, duh!



The zip ties on the back side work like hinges and allow movement so the screen can be raised and lowered in the front easily.



We’ve also drilled holes in several places along the sides so I can feed and water them in plastic cups attached by pieces of pipe cleaner. I hang these after they are a few weeks old and are kicking too many shavings into their feed and water. It also helps a lot when you have lots of chicks so no one gets pushed away from the food and left out. You can put as many dishes as you want (I have 4), and it’s especially nice because they are along the sides and/or ends, and they don’t take up any floor space.



I truly love this (Baby Pen) and would be lost without it. I've even bought the material for a second one. I think the storage bins were $19.99 at Walmart & $14.99 at Aldi's last year. A Must Have for anyone who likes to raise chicks in the house.

 

[janelle18]

This is the brooder that me and my dad built. It can be used as one large brooder, or broken down into 4 small brooders (you can see on the right side of the picture where the divider is put in). There is room for multiple heat lamps to be hung above the brooder. The top of the brooder opens on a hinge (2 separate, as seen in the next photo)





There is two difference sizes of mesh on the bottom, this is the smaller side, for chicks that have just hatched.When this becomes to small they are moved onto the bigger side...


Newspaper goes underneath for easy clean up from messy chicks.

This brooder has been great so far, easy to get in and out of and great for watching the babies. I hope ya'll like it.
And finally some fuzzy bums enjoying it

 

[nothingbutbirds]

I developed this when my pullet had wry neck
i made it out of a box and two baby blankets and a wash rag fir her to lay her head on as a pillow
I also could put cat food cans or yogurt containers to give her food and water in
she looked really comfortable when she was sleeping got better in six hrs

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

This is my big brooder, 3Wx4Lx2H. Made with all re-purposed materials, including screws. Cost $0

 

[cochins1088]

This isn't even going to come close to the amazing stuff posted on here. Great job guys! But I figured if it's a chance to win a brinsea incubator, I might as well enter.

Here's my 'comb cover'. I created it to help prevent frostbitten combs in the winter. The rooster pictured is Tom Jr. and he didn't might wearing it at all. He proudly strutted around the garage with his new hat, hahaha.

 

[cluck-cluck]

Cochins, that may seem simple, but it's truly brilliant! It looks like a beret! He's now a French bird, LOL. Too cute!

 

[Daloorashens]

This isn't even going to come close to the amazing stuff posted on here. Great job guys! But I figured if it's a chance to win a brinsea incubator, I might as well enter.

Here's my 'comb cover'. I created it to help prevent frostbitten combs in the winter. The rooster pictured is Tom Jr. and he didn't might wearing it at all. He proudly strutted around the garage with his new hat, hahaha.

Actually... that is AWESOME!!! nice job!!

 

[Brechin]

Cochins1088 does the little cap work for preventing frostbite? In Alaska we had to put pet. jelly and over that very similar little woolen caps with chin straps or beak pinchers (like peepers) on the roosters to keep their heads from freezing right off! For the most part it worked but I wasn't sure if there was a better material out there that was lighter and less irritating to the comb. Looks like you have microfiber material there? Looks AWESOME and very cute!

 

[cochins1088]

Cochins1088 does the little cap work for preventing frostbite? In Alaska we had to put pet. jelly and over that very similar little woolen caps with chin straps or beak pinchers (like peepers) on the roosters to keep their heads from freezing right off! For the most part it worked but I wasn't sure if there was a better material out there that was lighter and less irritating to the comb. Looks like you have microfiber material there? Looks AWESOME and very cute!

I'm not sure if it will completely prevent frostbite because this is the first year that I've done something like this, but I'm very hopeful that it will. The petroleum jelly never really worked for me and my poor roosters continued to get frostbite every winter, so I thought, how do we prevent it? With hats of course! So I went to work. This one is more of a prototype, the next one will be made out of a warm, but strechy material to make a tigher fit. I don't really want to put a chin strap on because I would think that it would be akward and uncomfortable with their wattles. I hadn't realized that something similar was actually being made and used else where. If you have any pictures, could you pm me? Thanks!