I have recently started making custom brooders for sale. Ever since I started bringing my own to swaps with chicks in them people have shown an interest. Sometimes the broodies even came along for the ride too. Very handy during colder weather to keep those precious babies warm!
The basic brooder, itself, is just under 4' long and 2' wide and stands about 18" tall. They are all individually made so some variations may exist in the design from one to another. The sides, back and lower half of the front are all plywood to contain any shavings the chicks throw about. The upper half of the front is a removable door is a wood frame and wire, hinged at the top edge, and the top of the brooder is also wire. The bottom of the brooder is plywood as well, but has hard plastic liner built into it and the edges sealed to keep spills and moisture from leaking out or damaging the bottom.
Heat and light can be provided with clamp lamps, either suspended from the wire ceiling or placed on top of the wire.
This is a picture of my own setup when I first built it and put it to use.
The top brooder was used as a quarantine cage for a new pair of cochins, and wasn't even completed at that time!
Food and water containers are an individual choice depending on what you prefer. My own choice of food and water containers has changed slightly since this all began. Currently new chicks get disposable foil pans. As they grow, I switch to a waterer (seen in the bottom brooder) set up on a ceramic bowl to keep it out of the shavings, and feed is in a 1 gallon plastic tub (the kind ice cream can be found in LOL), so they can't scatter the food into the bedding easily.
I do also offer a shelving unit to hold 1-6 brooders at a time. The style varies greatly depending on your preferences and needs. With these shelves, I now use a flourescent light fixture attached to the underside of the shelf above and just use one lamp off to one side or the other for heat now.
If you notice in the pictures, there are no red heat lamps visible. I won't use them. I feel it's better for chicks to learn a normal day/night cycle, so all my heat sources are ceramic heat emitters. These can be found in most pet stores that carry reptile supplies (and ebay) and screw into a regular light socket. They can be found ranging from 25w to 200w. I usually use between 50 and 75 watts depending on the time of year and age of the chicks.
These are some of the shelf styles I offer. I recommend a 1 or 2 brooder setup (those pictured), simply because the 3 brooder style I made originally, while available, isn't recommended for anyone under 5' 8". But even then, it's much easier to tend to if you have a step stool available (note the upside down stock pot in the picture above). The bottom brooder sits on the floor and is equally difficult to work with, unless you care to sit on the floor or have kids to do the work for you.
In the image above, the shelves marked 1 through 3 are 4' wide, 4 through 6 are 8' wide. As I stated before, I can make shelves that will hold up to six brooders, but the top shelf measures 6' 2". I use a slatted shelf for the brooders and solid shelves for usable work space. on all but number 3, the usable work space is right at 3' high. Shelves 2, 3 and 5, the top shelf is 5' high and the top shelf on #6 is just over 6'.
All brooders and shelf units are sold as bare wood items. Any paint or finish is up to the purchaser. They do not include any lighting or heat fixtures, nor any food or water containers, though heat and lighting are an option I offer. Painting or staining are not options I can offer. Sorry.
Each brooder costs $125. Shelf units vary by size and style, starting at $50 (for #1) and going up from there. Special pricing is available for larger setups.
Since each brooder and shelf are made to order, a deposit of 50% is required in advance. I accept PayPal as well as most major credit cards.
I live and work in the Roanoke area (Virginia) but will be travelling to the Gilmanor swap (Glen Allen VA) on the 21st. Local pickup is preferred, but delivery may be available in certain circumstances.
I hope to hear from you soon! Thank you for looking at my designs.
The basic brooder, itself, is just under 4' long and 2' wide and stands about 18" tall. They are all individually made so some variations may exist in the design from one to another. The sides, back and lower half of the front are all plywood to contain any shavings the chicks throw about. The upper half of the front is a removable door is a wood frame and wire, hinged at the top edge, and the top of the brooder is also wire. The bottom of the brooder is plywood as well, but has hard plastic liner built into it and the edges sealed to keep spills and moisture from leaking out or damaging the bottom.
Heat and light can be provided with clamp lamps, either suspended from the wire ceiling or placed on top of the wire.
This is a picture of my own setup when I first built it and put it to use.
Food and water containers are an individual choice depending on what you prefer. My own choice of food and water containers has changed slightly since this all began. Currently new chicks get disposable foil pans. As they grow, I switch to a waterer (seen in the bottom brooder) set up on a ceramic bowl to keep it out of the shavings, and feed is in a 1 gallon plastic tub (the kind ice cream can be found in LOL), so they can't scatter the food into the bedding easily.
I do also offer a shelving unit to hold 1-6 brooders at a time. The style varies greatly depending on your preferences and needs. With these shelves, I now use a flourescent light fixture attached to the underside of the shelf above and just use one lamp off to one side or the other for heat now.
If you notice in the pictures, there are no red heat lamps visible. I won't use them. I feel it's better for chicks to learn a normal day/night cycle, so all my heat sources are ceramic heat emitters. These can be found in most pet stores that carry reptile supplies (and ebay) and screw into a regular light socket. They can be found ranging from 25w to 200w. I usually use between 50 and 75 watts depending on the time of year and age of the chicks.
These are some of the shelf styles I offer. I recommend a 1 or 2 brooder setup (those pictured), simply because the 3 brooder style I made originally, while available, isn't recommended for anyone under 5' 8". But even then, it's much easier to tend to if you have a step stool available (note the upside down stock pot in the picture above). The bottom brooder sits on the floor and is equally difficult to work with, unless you care to sit on the floor or have kids to do the work for you.
In the image above, the shelves marked 1 through 3 are 4' wide, 4 through 6 are 8' wide. As I stated before, I can make shelves that will hold up to six brooders, but the top shelf measures 6' 2". I use a slatted shelf for the brooders and solid shelves for usable work space. on all but number 3, the usable work space is right at 3' high. Shelves 2, 3 and 5, the top shelf is 5' high and the top shelf on #6 is just over 6'.
All brooders and shelf units are sold as bare wood items. Any paint or finish is up to the purchaser. They do not include any lighting or heat fixtures, nor any food or water containers, though heat and lighting are an option I offer. Painting or staining are not options I can offer. Sorry.
Each brooder costs $125. Shelf units vary by size and style, starting at $50 (for #1) and going up from there. Special pricing is available for larger setups.
Since each brooder and shelf are made to order, a deposit of 50% is required in advance. I accept PayPal as well as most major credit cards.
I live and work in the Roanoke area (Virginia) but will be travelling to the Gilmanor swap (Glen Allen VA) on the 21st. Local pickup is preferred, but delivery may be available in certain circumstances.
I hope to hear from you soon! Thank you for looking at my designs.
