i need help with brooder ideas

First, do you have a relatively draft-free shed, garage or barn. Second, do you have access to electricity. Third,find a galvanized water tank, oval tub or #1 tub. Get bedding and a heat lamp and a piece of plywood to cover most of the tank/tub with. This will work great. I was lucky enough to find an 8' water tank at a flea market. It had holes in the bottom in it so it was worthless for water, but what a great brooder it made. Holds well over 50 chicks. Heat lamps on one end, light bulb on other with the food and water. I add top soil and they are set. I also have chicken wire over it to keep any cats away.

 

Not trying to criticize you, because I know when I want new chickens, I want them now. But maybe not such a good idea to order chicks in your climate in Febuary? Well, now that you have ordered them, you will probally have to brood them inside. Even a well insulated brooder is not going to hold temp in that kind of weather.

 

This is a hot topic for anyone starting chicks - check out the forum,"Raising Baby Chicks" and there is a sticky there with 40+ pages of posts. Everything from cardboard boxes, terrariums to deluxe customer brooders. Many of the breeders on line have really specific directions about what to do and have on hand prior to arrival of your chicks - please read these - chicks are delicate.

Once your panic has subsided since you will have a gazillion brooder ideas - check out "Frequently Asked Questions" and see the important facts. This board has extremely knowledgeable chickaholics and most likely have posted answers to many common questions.

Also check out the posts about feeding, caring and emergency first aid kits to have on hand prior to the arrival of the chicks, under Emergencies/Diseases/Injuries and Cures.

This time of year many of the posts are weather related. There are a lot of recommendations about keeping chicks and chickens warm and content in this very cold weather

- Enjoy all of the information here. I certainly have!

 

I'm using a dog cage...about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long. I put cardboard strips along the sides to keep the chicks from getting out. My brooder lamp is a $6 Kmart reflector lamp with a 100 watt bulb. Works great for me!

 

I have a large clear plastic storage tub from Walmart as a brooder. I cut out a section of the top and replaced it with hardware cloth so I can set the light on it. Instant brooder!

 

i have a friend that owns a grocery store and he is going to give me a watermelon crate for my chickens. its really just one big card board box.

 

How cool, I ahve 26 layers coming next weekend from Mcm! U can use a big cardboard box that is draft free with a partly covered top with a heat lamp.

 

I'd stay away from cardboard if at all possible...it's easy to catch it on fire if the heat lamp is too close to it.

 

I have wooden brooder boxes, dog kennels, rubbermaid containers, chicken wire and pvc cages, even old play pens. They all do the job very well. The main thing is to keep them well fed and watered and warm. Look around I know you will come up with something. The biggest things is keeping them warm. Very warm. 95 degrees the first week and decreasing by 5 degrees each week until they feather out and can insulate themselves. Your chickens will need to be 10 - 12 weeks old before they are feathered out to regulate their temps and protect themselves with out heat.