Large brooder ideas

[Welllaidacres]

I have a need to brood around 200 Cornish cross at a time. I’m running a small business off of my poultry and have demand for that many. I have been using Ohio brooders and they’ve worked alright, but not perfect. I’ve debated building a stacked brooder system where’d I’d house the chicks for a couple weeks prior to moving them to grow out pens. I’ve also thought about buying gas powered spot brooders as well. I brood and raise my chicks in the barn. The barn itself is not heated. Been tossing a ton of ideas around lately.

Who else broods 100+ chicks. What works for you what doesn’t?

I am in central Illinois where winter temps can range from -5 to 100 depending on time of year. Winter has been very mild this year but extended forecast shows single digit temps coming up. As this is a business, I brood year round. I am going to be raising 200 every 7 weeks.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I've not dealt with those numbers. Nothing close. But I am using my barn as a grow out pen (well part of it, anyways) and have done so in the past for upwards of 24 birds at a time. Essentially, an 8th of what you have planned.

My temps are a lot more pleasant than yours, too.

and the first thing I'd do is run power to that barn. Not just because its really convenient even if not brooding chicks, but mostly because its really convenient.. Then I'd pony wall up a section of the barn part way, with doors for you to enter, and start thinking of mobile wall sections so you can partition to whatever size you needed, internally. Basically, a set of stalls.

How big would depend a lot upon the dimensions of the barn, and how to build the pony wall would depend a lot on the construction of the barn's floor, as well as its ceiling, since a long pony wall isn't self supporting.

Biggest problem I immediately imagine is where to run power - it would be best on the pony wall, so you don't have to walk thru the brooder areas to plug things in, turn on switches, etc, but then your doors in the pony wall become an issue - you'd either run your electrical along the floor and up the wall pillars, or along the ceiling and down the pillars.

So, dimensions, photos? and is the city/county going to be a problem if you wire your barn? or do you care?

 

[Welllaidacres]

My barn is 30x60 with 7' ceilings (1942 built hen house that used to house 1200 layers). I have 4 grow out in pens in it. There are 3 that are 10x15' and one is 15x20'. The rest of the barn is used for a dog kennel, pig pen, isolation pen, and layer pen. It is wired and I updated it myself from the lovely knob and tube to up to date romex and a breaker panel. I have two duplex outlets and a light in each grow out pen. My growout pens have a 30" knee wall with wire above that. That's definitely necessary for summer ventilation. Hinders my winter brooding though. I currently brood in two of the 10x15 pens with a 5x4 ohio brooder in each. At 3-4 weeks of age when the birds are mostly feathered, I split them up into the other grow out pens, remove the ohios and just have heat lamps hanging. after 4.5 weeks, depending on temps, I shut of the heat lamps.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have nothing to offer you, I don't brood that many. Just curious why you don't like the Ohio brooders? I'd guess poop management or maybe it's hard to tell if one died underneath but that's only a guess.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

If you have power, you have heat and ventilation. I've nothing to offer you.

 

[Welllaidacres]

I have nothing to offer you, I don't brood that many. Just curious why you don't like the Ohio brooders? I'd guess poop management or maybe it's hard to tell if one died underneath but that's only a guess.

Thats exactly my problem. I dont like not being able to see the chicks well and moving the ohio is cumbersome. I have a bad back and my ohios dont weigh much, but a 35 lb object thats 5x4' is troublesome by yourself.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

I have seen people turn those yard sheds into a brooder. Easy to place in a convenient location and run power to. Easier to predator proof than a barn usually.

 

[B-Goock]

Thats exactly my problem. I dont like not being able to see the chicks well and moving the ohio is cumbersome. I have a bad back and my ohios dont weigh much, but a 35 lb object thats 5x4' is troublesome by yourself.

Put them on a hand crank winch system. Like on a boat trailer. Save your back.

200 would be like what 5 or 6 Ohio brooders?

 

[RoosterML]

Use plexiglass sides for your Ohio brooder

 

[B-Goock]

Use plexiglass sides for your Ohio brooder

Or go full on techno..... mini cams linked to your phone. Observe anywhere your at.