is this Brooder okay for 15 baby chicks until older? New to chickens

[Mr Spot]

hello chickie friends,

Pretty new here not sure if I’m doing this right. I was wondering if this set up I have is okay to house 15 baby chicks until they get bigger? I’m going to rig a heat lamp to hang over. Tips, suggestions?
Thank you

Another idea would be to get another tub and put it right beside that one and hang the light in the middle so it would heat both tubs until you can find somethig bigger to hold them all. It might work and it might not, it was just a thought.

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

You can pick up the vertical poultry nipples at most farm supply stores. They sell them in 4, 6 and upwards packs. I bought the plastic sports bottle from a thrift store for $0.75. You want to look for one that has that a screw on top with a handle on it that you can hook to a chain as well as a flip top for drinking out of that you can use as a vent.
Then follow the package instructions for the poultry nipple for the correct drill bit size and carefully drill a hole through the bottom of the bottle to insert the nipple. Although they don't call for it I like to put about three to five wraps of Teflon tape on the threads of the nipple before inserting it into the bottom of the bottle. You will obviously want to put water in it and just hang it over your sink to make sure it's not leaking before you put it in the brooder.
By hanging it from a chain you can continue to raise the level up so that it is at the correct height as the chicks grow.

Thank you so much for the advice!!

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

x2. Use the space you have and don't bother with buying tubs or whatnot which won't last long as a brooder. Something as simple as 3' cardboard stapled or taped to the wall of the coop to make an "enclosure" should work fine for about the first 2 weeks (after that they'll easily be able to get over it but will be ready to utilize all the space anyhow), or if you want to get fancier you can take hardware cloth and screw it into the walls/beams to portion off part of the coop.

I'm very simple with food and water, I just have a plastic mason jar size feeder and waterer sitting up on bricks or scrap wood to keep them out of the bedding. I don't have issues with water getting knocked over because I find that as long as chicks have ample room to move around as they grow, they don't tend to knock into things the way they would in a smaller space.

I use a mama heating pad for heat. For 15 birds you may need 2 pads or plates depending on size. If you plan on sticking with the heat lamp, make sure it is WELL secured (do NOT rely on the clamp to hold it up, it should be clamped, hung by the loop at back of the lamp, and even the cord should be looped over the support beam) and have the lamp only on one side of the brooding space so chicks have the option of getting away from heat when they don't want it.

Thank you so much !!

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

Another idea would be to get another tub and put it right beside that one and hang the light in the middle so it would heat both tubs until you can find somethig bigger to hold them all. It might work and it might not, it was just a thought.

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

It will last about a 4-6 days before they will want/NEED something bigger with better air circulation.
Do you already have your coop setup? If so, brood them in the coop using a brooder plate with a towel thrown over it to make it like a cave instead.

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

Sorry have been very busy as of late

Here is a new updated set up for right now


Also had a scare with a pack of coyotes the other night so I’m freaking out over that now haha

 

[Iluveggers]

Boxes work great! I put a group of mine in one side for the first few days, and then pulled the divider out of the middle once they were zipping around a bit! Ended up with food & water on one side & heat plate on the other. Gave them a bit of space to run around! Binder clipped the 2 boxes together, and covered the top with garden plastic fencing.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Have you taken temps in there to see what the range is between warm and cool? Is there a lid that you've made to go on top? Might want to duct tape the corners so the little gap between the lid flaps isn't open like that, as I could imagine a chick jumping up and getting caught there.

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

Boxes work great! I put a group of mine in one side for the first few days, and then pulled the divider out of the middle once they were zipping around a bit! Ended up with food & water on one side & heat plate on the other. Gave them a bit of space to run around! Binder clipped the 2 boxes together, and covered the top with garden plastic fencing.

View attachment 3423189

This is awesome! I’m going to try and do that. Thank you!

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

Have you taken temps in there to see what the range is between warm and cool? Is there a lid that you've made to go on top? Might want to duct tape the corners so the little gap between the lid flaps isn't open like that, as I could imagine a chick jumping up and getting caught there.

I have not taken the temperature yet however I do believe I need to lower the heat lamp because it did not seem warm enough for them.

Thank you !! I honestly didn’t think of that it going to fix that up today. As for the lid, no I don’t but I can maybe lay some chicken wire on top, do you think that would be okay?