How high of a brooder roof?

[kukupecpec]

Hey there! So I got my hands on an old dresser and I am going to try to turn it into a brooder! I am raising serama, so they are pretty small, and I Was wondering just how high of a roof they would need? I would LIKE to put a shelf right through the middle so I can make it kind of a double decker with new borns on the top and older birds who are still too young to go out into the run on the bottom.

I also am starting to raise jersey giants, so I would probably use the two levels to separate breeds at first so the little seramas don't get crushed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[AlienChick]

Since they're only gonna be in there up to 4-6 weeks, you could get away with 18 or so inches in height providing there is a type of "roof" where they can't fly out. (Seramas are excellent flyers.) I have brooders of all varying heights and sizes. I even have one similar to yours where I used the existing shelf inside my garden shed (see below). I now use that as a hospital cage whenever I need it since I'm not hatching any chicks right now.

 

[debid]

What is your heating method? The problem I ran into with the brooder I borrowed was that it had a lid at 24" height. That's where the heat lamp needed to be. If I put the lamp inside, it was too low. Outside, it was too high. So, I'd choose the height with that in mind. I'd also make it tall enough that a full-grown Serama can stand in it in case you need it for a temporary cage later.

 

[kukupecpec]

I plan to put the light on the roof shining through a screened hole in the roof.

 

[kukupecpec]

So here's what I got! It's been a long while, but I've had a million projects. It's still not completely finished. I need to add the other door on the bottom compartment, and I can't decide where/how I want to permanently mount the heat lamp, suggestions would be awesome!

 

[TJsTwinzz]

Ours is about 2-3 feet high, and it holds our 4-week-old chicks pretty well. Just make sure that they have a roost. Also, they will learn to perch on their water containers, so you might want to put something on top of it to deter them (they will certainly make the water dirty).