Easiest way to raise chicks

[Little Farm Girl]

We are looking for the easiest way you have found to raise chicks besides using a hen. We have raised them for six years now, and tried many different methods of heating, and bedding. Some of them have worked ok, and some of them have killed the chicks. We don’t want to mess up again this year. I think we like the heat pad method, like the mama hen simulator. That seemed to work well. Our main problem seems to be that the pens get really poopy and are hard to clean with so many chicks in them. We are looking for ideas of something easier to keep day-old checks in that we can easily keep clean and easily keep their water clean. Also what are your favorite heating methods and bedding types? If y’all have any ideas that would be great, we do not want to use heat lamps this year. Thank you so much .

 

[hillbilly91]

We are looking for the easiest way you have found to raise chicks besides using a hen. We have raised them for six years now, and tried many different methods of heating, and bedding. Some of them have worked ok, and some of them have killed the chicks. We don’t want to mess up again this year. I think we like the heat pad method, like the mama hen simulator. That seemed to work well. Our main problem seems to be that the pens get really poopy and are hard to clean with so many chicks in them. We are looking for ideas of something easier to keep day-old checks in that we can easily keep clean and easily keep their water clean. Also what are your favorite heating methods and bedding types? If y’all have any ideas that would be great, we do not want to use heat lamps this year. Thank you so much .

How many are you planning on raising in it at 1time

 

[cmom]

Hard to say because everyone's situation is different. I hatch out a lot of chicks every year. I have a brooder cabinet with wire on the bottom with poop trays under the wire. The chicks stay clean as well as their feed and water. I use regular incandescent bulbs for heat. I put paper towel down for the first few days while the chicks are finding their legs then I take it out and no mess. Good luck with whatever you do and have fun...

 

[50-45-1]

well, how many chicks you will be brooding does make a difference on the method that will work the best. something that works for 6 chicks might not be practical for 35.

if i have incubated or ordered chicks from the hatchery, i am working with less than 20 chicks. i always use a carboard box. a large one say cedar chest size.(i pick one out behind my hardware or grocery store). i cut the flanges off the top, flip it over, cut an access in the top and run my heat lamp thru there. i have 4 different size bulbs. 100, 75, 60 and 40 that i use to gauge the heat needed. i layer many newspapers on the floor of my basement or kitchen, put the box on those layers. for the first couple days i have paper towel. after that i just pull the top 3 layers of newspaper out from under the box each day. i also will use some pine shavings. its easy for me to do this. the box is free. the newspaper is free. when the chicks are almost fully feathered around 3 weeks they go outside to the coop where they have another set up to integrate with the flock.

 

[ValerieJ]

Hard to say because everyone's situation is different. I hatch out a lot of chicks every year. I have a brooder cabinet with wire on the bottom with poop trays under the wire. The chicks stay clean as well as their feed and water. I use regular incandescent bulbs for heat. I put paper towel down for the first few days while the chicks are finding their legs then I take it out and no mess. Good luck with whatever you do and have fun...
View attachment 1986654

That is quite a brooder!

 

[ValerieJ]

The brooder itself depends on the number of chicks you have. I never have more than 4 at a time, so I use a dog crate and have a plastic tote nearby to move the chicks into when i clean their brooder every day. I use the Sweeter Heater in the brooder and love it!

ETA: I cover the bottom 6" of the dog crate with wood on the inside.

 

[bobbi-j]

My last batch of chicks was raised out in the 8’x8’ coop with the heating pad method. Give them enough room and it doesn’t get dirty quite so fast.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As others noted, # of birds plays a huge part in this. I've never raised more than 4 chicks at a time. Though I suppose my idea could be scaled up with a movable tractor as a brooder.

My brooder sits out in the run and I use a MHP. The bedding is whatever happens to be on the run floor, plus for the first week or two I add wood shavings for extra cushion & dryness.

I inadvertently found out that my set up requires zero cleanup - rather than clean out the brooder, I simply move it around the run every few days/week, as needed. The hens will scratch up the previous spot it was sitting on while searching for chick feed and clear up any poop.

 

[ValerieJ]

As others noted, # of birds plays a huge part in this. I've never raised more than 4 chicks at a time. Though I suppose my idea could be scaled up with a movable tractor as a brooder.

My brooder sits out in the run and I use a MHP. The bedding is whatever happens to be on the run floor, plus for the first week or two I add wood shavings for extra cushion & dryness.

I inadvertently found out that my set up requires zero cleanup - rather than clean out the brooder, I simply move it around the run every few days/week, as needed. The hens will scratch up the previous spot it was sitting on while searching for chick feed and clear up any poop.

Do you ever brood chicks that way during the rainy months?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Silky are great at hatching and raising mine are in their own coop