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- #21
True, true...! I may have to do that.If you have the right kind of saw, you could probably cut a hole in the top kiddie pool, cover it with HC, and put the heat lamp on top like in the bottom pic.
I had looked at that one. How hard is it to clean? (I haven’t actually read the article yet, just looked at the pic)I built one like amferro103's brooder. It worked wonderfully. Of course it is a bit of an investment and all but the size was fantastic.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/homemade-chicken-brooder-designs-pictures.47736/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/incubators-brooders.27/
You can also use a brooder plate or a mama heating pad. I personally use the Brinsea EcoGlow plates they are economical in use though the initial expense can be a bit high, they are less of a fire hazard than the red lamp and they mimic the more natural behavior of the chicks.
Both of you made good points! For this round of chick raising I may not use the heating plate, just because I’ve already gotten the chicks and there is so many. Normally I raise groups of 10 at a time. Then again.. it couldn’t possibly hurt to go ahead and order one.With a tote that small, watch out if you're using a heatlamp--there may not be enough places to get away from the heat, and it's easy to overheat a chick. But definitely think about mama heating pads or heating plates--that may give you more build options, they're generally much safer, and chicks love them. Of course with 22, you'd either need a couple plates or one massive one. Buff O's are so cute. Best of luck with them.