How often do you clean your brooder?

[DoverChick]

Just a quick survey:

1. How many chicks do you have?

2. How big is your brooder?

3. How often do you clean your brooder?


Me personally so far, 9 chicks, 2 ft.x4 ft., and so far we are cleaning it about every 3 days. I just wanted to see what everyone else does.

Thanks!

 

[booker81]

I have 12 CornishX, brooder is about 2'x3.5', and I'm cleaning out paper towel layers twice a day. They poop a lot

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
1. I only have 3 chicks so far this year. Last year I had about 150 chicks. Hoping to have 200 chicks this year.

2. I have several brooders that are as long as 12 feet long. All have different dimensions.

3. I clean my brooders twice a day. A lot of poop in there (from the mama) that has to be removed.

 

[AlienChick]

I have 20 baby chicks.

Brooder is a large dog cage that is 2.5 x 3.5. I have a bedding of wood shavings.

I've only had the chicks for a week, so I have not changed the shavings yet.
I'll probably change it within a couple of days. (My plan was to do it once a week.)
I do occasionally add shavings to the "bald" spots that they scratch up.
I also have a light sprinkling of DE in there so it doesn't stink.

I can see myself changing bedding quite often when they get bigger!

 

[blackvelvet]

I have 26 Cornish x I have 13 in 2 different brooders. that measure 3 by 2.5 and I have 2 either change daily or some sometimes I can change every other day but can't go any longer cause they stink and poop so much!

 

[Kellichick]

I have 12 chicks, ranging in age from 5 days to 4 weeks. They are in a 2.5' X 3.5' baby playpen. The bottom is filled with pine shavings. At first, once a week was alright. Now, since they're eating more and pooping more, I've cleaned twice this week. I've just been looking to see how much poop is happening and cleaning based on that. I'm a new chick momma, so that may be wrong. I'm open to suggestions on cleaning and keeping my babies too. Thanks!

 

[wistlindixie]

I use a large plastic storage box with paper towel layers that I change 2xs a day. The brooder is in the home office where I spend a lot of time and I don't want to smell them. I also keep a can of lysol near so that I can spray around the outside of the brooder to keep the odor down. In the brooder, I have 9 happy chicks!

 

[bs288]

Kellichick, I see you are using a playpen. I was going to use our old pack n play but wasn't sure how it would work out. Right now they are in a plastic tub but I would like to give the more room. if the pack n play works it will save some money to go toward the run

 

[gritsar]

I don't have brooder chicks right now (although I do have chicks with a broody). This is the brooder I use:

We would clean it about every three days or so. IMO, you don't want to keep their brooder sterile or nearly so. Being exposed to germs is how they develop strong immune systems.

 

[Kellichick]

bs288....From the moment I knew I wanted chicks, I knew I'd use a playpen; I had already planned it out in my head. I posted on CraigsList for one, letting people know that I was not paying more than $15, because it was just going to be pooped up by chicks. I had to build a chicken wire roof to keep the cats out and the babies in, and when I bought 3 more at the age of 24 hours old, I built a chicken wire divider to separate them from the rest of the older ones. I'm REALLY into using whatever is laying around and even scan the "Free" sections of CraigsList several times a day looking for whatever may be useful now or in the future. I had an old metal pole laying around that my husband calls "trash", but I call it "useful some day". I took an old piece of 2x4, about a foot long, and drilled a hole in one end of it for the pole; on the end so that the rest of the board could act as a counterweight for the light. That's where I hung the light, so that I could move it up or down to adjust the heat. I also took hardware cloth and some old lumber and made a raised area for food and water, so as to keep the pine shavings out of it. (An idea from another BYC member). Once I had all that taken care of, it was set to go. It really wasn't as much work as it sounds, I promise, and it makes it good for the chicks and easy for you. BTW, I have the removable bottom turned hard side up and a piece of cardboard on top of it, to assist with cleanliness.