I need a bigger brooder idea

[Tiger Shark]

I have 10 turkeys and they’re getting kinda cramped in the dog cage I have them in. How big should my brooder be and what should I make it out of?

 

[R2elk]

I have 10 turkeys and they’re getting kinda cramped in the dog cage I have them in. How big should my brooder be and what should I make it out of?

We need a lot more information. How old are they? What temperature do you have them acclimated to?

I only use one brooder (4'x4'x1') with a GQF brooder on one side that is regulated by a PID temperature controller. I have a light fixture above it that has one red heat lamp and one daylight bulb in it. Each bulb has its own switch. In cold weather the heat lamp is turned on so that the main part of the brooder is at least 70°F. The daylight bulb is turned on during the daytime and off at night. The light fixture is on a hand operated pulley system to raise or lower it as needed.

My chicks, keets and/or poults are usually in the brooder for no more than two weeks. After that they are moved to a grow out pen unless they have already been sold. I do have a chicken wire covered lid that I can put on top of the brooder if they get to the point that there is a danger of them escaping the brooder which usually occurs at the two week point.

 

[BReeder!]

4x4 should suffice until they are large enough to get outside.

 

[orrpeople]

I get the big boxes from Costco - one year it was an organic onion box, one year it was the big dog bed box. I cover the bottom w a little extra cardboard (the onion box didnt have a center), then some press and seal, then shavings. The sides are high and there's lots of room. Unconventional, but totally functional.

 

[Tiger Shark]

They are almost 3 weeks old now. They are acclimated to temps around 85/90. I live in Florida so the lowest it ever gets in the summer at night is like 70. They are in a dog coop that is 4 ft by 2 ft. Would it be okay to put them outside now?

 

[R2elk]

They are almost 3 weeks old now. They are acclimated to temps around 85/90. I live in Florida so the lowest it ever gets in the summer at night is like 70. They are in a dog coop that is 4 ft by 2 ft. Would it be okay to put them outside now?

Mine were out of the brooder at two weeks old. They need much more room than that but probably need to go into a grow out pen rather than a brooder. They can certainly be outside during the daytime.

 

[GotCoop]

I use progressive brooders (usually 5-10 poults). First a small 4ft water trough (week 1-2), then a 2x7x2 plywood enclosure (week 2-4), then into a 12x12 foot horse stall until they move outside.