DIY Thread - Let's see your "Inventions".

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
build it like a carport.... detatched from the coop... then you can make the slope any way you need.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

I'm just trying to find out how big I need to build a brooder? I'm getting 19 chicks and would like to build one large enough for them to stay in until they are 4 weeks old.
Quote:
LOL your proposed square footage sounds about right. I had 40 keets in the same amount of space. though If I were to do a brooder again... For my particular needs I would do it 2 foot wide by eight feet long.... Same square footage Easier to access from one side. AND you can build it with two sheets of plywood cut into two length wise. Provided you are doing a wire lid so you can hang the heat lamp over it.

deb

 

[ihunt]

I'm just trying to find out how big I need to build a brooder? I'm getting 19 chicks and would like to build one large enough for them to stay in until they are 4 weeks old.

I raised 31 chics to 4 weeks in an 4'x 4' 18'' and they did just fine after a week I put a hardware cloth frame on top I also put a handrail about 2'' above the floor.

 

[LindaB220]

I'm just trying to find out how big I need to build a brooder? I'm getting 19 chicks and would like to build one large enough for them to stay in until they are 4 weeks old.

A 4' x 4' should do for the amount of time that they will be there. If more than a couple of weeks make it a tad bigger. I had one of those big plastic dog houses. It was about 28" x 40" I had 20 babies and it worked fine for about 10 days, then I connected the top to it so it was 80" long and it lasted until they were 5 weeks old.

 

[Irishhenman]

I'm just trying to find out how big I need to build a brooder? I'm getting 19 chicks and would like to build one large enough for them to stay in until they are 4 weeks old.

Around 16 square feet (4x4, 8x2) should be good for around 20 chicks. I have 8' x 2' brooders and they take 15-20 chicks up to 4 or 5 weeks.

 

[kimmerjo]

Thank you all for your help Tomorrow I will be building one!

 

[bruceha2000]

So here is my situation.

I want to add a "winter feed area" to what I have. I'm thinking of trying to totally enclose part of the dog kennel run just outside the pop door where the feed and water can be during the winter. Last winter the older birds wouldn't let the younger ones come into the pop door during the day in the extreme cold. There wasn't enough cover outside for them so sometimes I left the pop door closed. That as NOT good for them to be inside as they were in too close of quarters. This winter started some very bad habits for them.

Anyhow, I was thinking of trying to figure out a "removable" shelter outside with a slanted roof that can hold up to snow and give them more room that is covered in the extreme cold. I guess I could just do removable plywood sheets.

I currently have a shade cloth cover out there which I had to knock the snow off of every time it snowed. I like the filter of the shade cloth and that it doesn't hold water like a tarp for the summer, but it's too much maintenance during the winter. So that will have to be replaced with a permanent roofing material that can stay up winter and summer.

This is what is currently out there (the shade cover was cut from an old pool cover). I really want to totally enclose that area that is under the shade cover so they have more space and a place for the water/feed.






Put up clear shower curtains last winter for a wind break in the winter which worked pretty well. But not well enough.

Snow load is tough. It takes a lot of structure to support a couple of inches of that wet, HEAVY "not quite 32F" snow. Especially difficult with a nearly flat roof.

You can buy clear HEAVY DUTY tarps in many sizes that have nylon webbing on all the edges and grommets spaced for tying. They aren't cheap but they should last a long time. As far as the wind goes, which way does it usually come from? If you solidly cover the 2 sides that don't have the door with those clear tarps, no wind will blow through even if it comes from that side.

OK I need help with brooder size.... You take the width x length= the sq ft...?? Then divide the number of chicks?? And that equals the amount of space each chick will have??? So... If I build a 4'x4'=16sqft ÷ 19 = 0.8 ??? I think my brain just died... Help

I'm just trying to find out how big I need to build a brooder? I'm getting 19 chicks and would like to build one large enough for them to stay in until they are 4 weeks old.

Sounds like the 4x4 would be just fine. I raised 12 in an unused bathtub, so figure floor space was probably not more than 2x4. They got moved to the coop when they were 4 weeks old if for no other reason than they wouldn't stay in the bathtub during the day.

Bruce

 

[jetdog]

So here is my situation. I want to add a "winter feed area" to what I have. I'm thinking of trying to totally enclose part of the dog kennel run just outside the pop door where the feed and water can be during the winter. Last winter the older birds wouldn't let the younger ones come into the pop door during the day in the extreme cold. There wasn't enough cover outside for them so sometimes I left the pop door closed. That as NOT good for them to be inside as they were in too close of quarters. This winter started some very bad habits for them. Anyhow, I was thinking of trying to figure out a "removable" shelter outside with a slanted roof that can hold up to snow and give them more room that is covered in the extreme cold. I guess I could just do removable plywood sheets. I currently have a shade cloth cover out there which I had to knock the snow off of every time it snowed. I like the filter of the shade cloth and that it doesn't hold water like a tarp for the summer, but it's too much maintenance during the winter. So that will have to be replaced with a permanent roofing material that can stay up winter and summer. This is what is currently out there (the shade cover was cut from an old pool cover). I really want to totally enclose that area that is under the shade cover so they have more space and a place for the water/feed. Put up clear shower curtains last winter for a wind break in the winter which worked pretty well. But not well enough.

My first shower curtain got torn to pieces also so I made a frame with 1x3 strapping and sandwiched it between the strapping, this added a ton of support and it lasted the rest of the winter and I plan on using it this winter also.

 

[DaddyBird]

I don't think so..... I can't carry a bucket of sand if it is more than 1/2 full.... sand is VERY heavy. My hubby got me a truck load of sand.... well about half the bed of his truck and it weighed over 5k lbs! A 5 gal bucket of sand weighs about 89 lbs. A bucket of water weights about 42lbs. I can carry 2 buckets of water but not sand....

Fill the bucket with sand and then add water. It will fill all the cracks between the grains of sand. That is as heavy as you can get with those two media choices. =)

Post Script: I guess I was a bit late with that one. On a side note, marshmallows make great opossum bait.

 

[colburg]

Deb, I think your math is a wee bit off. .8 sqft = 115.2 sq inches.