How often do you clean your brooder?

[CowgirlPenny]

Freshen food and water daily, remove soiled bedding every other morning, completely change aspen chips every third day

 

[AlienChick]

I, too, searched CraigsList for a baby playpen, but there were none to be found.
I ended up using one of our large dog crates that we had stashed in the storage shed.
I put cardboard around the sides to keep out the drafts (and the shavings in).

 

[gryeyes]

Everybody get ready to gasp in unison: I clean the brooder between batches of chicks.

I use the deep litter method even in the brooder, starting with the non-skid, non-adhesive shelf liner for the first day, maybe two. After that, I put down a layer of pine shavings. Any new, wet poop I see, I toss a handful of shavings over it. Every couple of days, I add more litter. If the chicks manage to knock over their waterer (if I am not using a nipple waterer for them), I will pull out the wet shavings and refill the void with fresh litter. They stay on this growing layer of pine shavings until it's time to put them outside, 8 weeks or so.

I will wipe down the interior sides of the brooder now and then, as necessary. I will clean - wash, not just rinse - the waterer every couple of days. Same with the feeder, if it has gotten poopy.

After the chicks are put outside full time, I dump the entire six inch deep layer of pine shavings into the compost, shake out the shelf liner, toss it into the washing machine, and then completely wash the brooder with hot, soapy water and let it dry in the sun.

Then I start all over again.

 

[dianaross77]

*GASP* Just kidding! I have a 35 gallon plastic tote with 4 Isa brown chicks (1 week old). I've only cleaned it once so far not because of the smell but because someone knocked over the water and there's a mass of swollen sawdust! But the pellets are so absorbent that usually I just dump the water in the reservoir into the bedding to get out all the yuckies that they put in there. It's dry in no time and they love to dustbathe in it!

 

[AlienChick]

No GASP here!
I've only had my babies for a week now, but I have not yet changed the litter.
I guess I'm kinda doing the deep litter method since I do add more shavings on top of what's there and I take out wet stuff from spilled water.
Anyway, it doesn't smell (yet) and I see no reason (yet) to change it.
I have a light dusting of DE in there also.
I had plans to change the litter today, but I just don't see a need (yet).

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Fifty eight ISA Brown chicks in a 4ft x 8ft brooder. Pine shavings for bedding. Put them in February 17th and haven't cleaned it yet. Just keep adding more shavings when they get caked up. Feeders and waterers are on hardware cloth platforms to keep them out of the bedding.

In about two more weeks I'll take them out then I'll clean the brooder.

 

[columbiacritter]

Deep litter here too. First 3 or 4 days they are on rags that get changed every day, once htey are on chips no changes unless I've really crowded the brooder. My main brooder is an 8' x 3' with only 12 chicks in in so no real poop obvious with all the churning they do of the chips. Next weekend I will add another layer of chips and they will be fine.

Waterers get scrubbed every day without fail. Feeders get refille dbut no cleaned unless someone takes a messy dump in it.

 

[Kellichick]

I'm using a playpen with mesh sides. I do just grab the soiled shavings out and throw clean in, but I still clean completely about 2 times a week, since it's fabric.

 

[Knittycat]

I've got 8 week old chicks in a rubbermaid tub about 3x2. I put fresh bedding in every day, on top of the old poopy bedding, and then when it gets a bit whiffy, I dump it out and start all over.

 

[funkgirl27]

I clean my chick brooder about every two days it gets pretty bad in there in that time and i agree chicks need to be exposed to germs to help there immune system to help with keeping it dry I use layers one layer of newspaper one layer of papertowels and then the layer of pine shavings keeps it fresh and hardly no smell and there siting in my living room and my house dont smell like a farm so i must be doing something right lol Proud owener of my first flock of six baby girls Two weeks old today you can see them on my website www.wichitabackyardchickens.webs.com hope you enjoy and dont forget to register and post your flock pictures thanks and happy chicken owning