How often do you clean the brooder?

[Chick_Chick]

With 22 chicks you're probably looking at every 2 to 3 days - more frequently if they knock over the water.

What I actually do now is... not clean, at all. Because I brood outside I simply move the brooder when it's dirty and the adult chickens come over and scratch up the litter and "clean" for me.

I have an empty coop outside (my last flock was finished off by bears). I want to brood them in the coop soon, but wondering if I need to put a brooder box inside the coop or not.

 

[LaFleche]

Every day, as I do not want them to lay in or eat their own feaces.

Keep in mind that the artificial heating source stimulates bacterial growth and mould formation, which in turn would be inhaled by the chicks leading to often chronic respiratory illness.

 

[AntiqueB]

I have only brooded 3 chicks, but I found it helpful to put down an absorbant, disposable bedpad on the bottom with pine shavings on top. That way, it was easy to gather the whole thing up, even if they had spilled water, and throw it away.

Like @LaFleche , I clean daily.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have an empty coop outside (my last flock was finished off by bears). I want to brood them in the coop soon, but wondering if I need to put a brooder box inside the coop or not.

Depends on size and layout of the coop. If it's fairly large, for the first week or so I'd confine them to a smaller area so a chick doesn't wander too far from heat or food and get lost. After that they should be able to get around just fine, even if the coop is 100, 200 sq ft.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I actually changed my answer. Every 3 days.

 

[Davethebirdman]

I don’t use shavings. I don’t want them eating wood shavings and they do! They should be only eating medicated chick starter for at least 4 months.
I put down sheets of fresh newspaper throughout the day as they poop. I dont want my birds sleeping in their poop or running in it. layer after layer of newspaper builds up. After a few days, I clean it out and use it for mulch. When I am cleaning, all chicks go into a closed holding box for 20 minutes while they wait for me to finish the job.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I don't have a set schedule, but I can say the bigger they get the more often you clean it. Especially if you have more than a couple chicks

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Usually when they shavings look a bit flat. Hard to eldescribe, but they look flat and not nice and fresh and poofy

 

[LaFleche]

I don’t use shavings. I don’t want them eating wood shavings and they do! They should be only eating medicated chick starter for at least 4 months.
I put down sheets of fresh newspaper throughout the day as they poop. I dont want my birds sleeping in their poop or running in it. layer after layer of newspaper builds up. After a few days, I clean it out and use it for mulch. When I am cleaning, all chicks go into a closed holding box for 20 minutes while they wait for me to finish the job.

For the first 4 days I use old terry cloth until they know how to distinguish their food. Then I change to softwood shavings big enough not to be mistaken for food.

I do not use medicated starter as the prolonged use of a medicated starter containing amprolium could lead to vitamin B deficiency.

Newspaper is very slippery for chicks and can lead to splay/spraddled legs. Apart from that I do not consider the printing ink and their fumes etc. to be healthy for little chicks, as they will surely eat pieces of newspaper

 

[sdm111]

I don’t use shavings. I don’t want them eating wood shavings and they do! They should be only eating medicated chick starter for at least 4 months.
I put down sheets of fresh newspaper throughout the day as they poop. I dont want my birds sleeping in their poop or running in it. layer after layer of newspaper builds up. After a few days, I clean it out and use it for mulch. When I am cleaning, all chicks go into a closed holding box for 20 minutes while they wait for me to finish the job.

Newspaper isn't good on thier legs/feet
Don't use Newspaper folks reading this