Latest and greatest ideas for streamlined brooders

[Pork Pie]

I just drill a hole for the nipple in a soda bottle, put a bit of wire around the neck of the bottle, hook more wire around the bottle and seal with tape (oh and make a small hole in the base of the bottle). I use them for sick chickens or breaking broodiness as well as for chicks. Looks like this You would still get some drips in a brooder, but a shallow ceramic saucer or something like that would reduce the problem. Its not pretty, but is works for me. CT

That is a great idea! Thanks. Do you put some kind of sealant around the nipple to reduce dripping -- or plumber tape or something. sometime the drips seem to tunt into leaks for me -- I like the way you did the wire -- and the idea that you can employ multiple uses. Probably called something else in Kenya - since everything had a different name wherever you go....silicon tape is another name. :O) THANKS for the good idea. I either use pvc glue or tape but any drips are caused by use rather than leaking nipples. As long as the hole drilled takes effort to screw the nipples into I don't find it a big deal and the small volume of water makes it less of an issue in terms of pressure on the joints. Ct
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sculptingstudio.com​

Thread seal tape (also known as PTFE tape orplumber's tape) is a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film for use in sealing pipe threads. The tape is sold cut to specific widths and wound on a spool, making it easy to wind around pipe threads.
[COLOR=660099]Thread seal tape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_seal_tape
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[Ridgerunner]

There are just so many different ways this thread could go.

To me, the most important part of a brooder is temperature control. I don’t mean keeping the whole thing at one specific temperature, exactly the opposite. Keep one area warm enough in the coldest conditions, and keep another area cool enough in the warmest conditions. Then let the chicks self-regulate. That takes all that stress away from you and allows the chicks to manage it for themselves. It doesn’t matter how you provide that warm area: heat lamps, heating pad, emitters, hovers, just many different ways. To me the difference in heat in different areas makes all the difference. Another advantage of this is that it almost forces you to have a larger brooder so they are not shoehorned into a tiny space they will soon outgrow. And it works in the house or outside.

A wet brooder is a dangerous brooder from a disease standpoint plus they stink. My brooder is built into the coop, the top is actually my droppings board. It’s elevated and has a ¼” hardwire floor so it can be used as a broody buster too when it’s empty. I keep bins from Walmart under it to catch the poop. Makes it really easy to empty. That plastic keeps the adult hens from going under there to lay plus provides draft protection.

For water I use something like this, though the platform around it is a little bigger for the one in the brooder. I use a black rubber pet bowl filled with rocks so the chicks won’t drown if they hop in there. They don’t spill it but they do poop in it. There are no shavings for them to kick in it. I do change it out every day because of the poop. That also keeps mosquitoes from breeding in it. As you can see above, I used to use a different type of waterer. Got to stay flexible.

I’ll note that all wire is not created equal. Some has sharp pips on it from the manufacturing process, either welding or galvanizing, that can chew up the chicks’ feet. Those sharp pips should be on the same of the wire so carefully run your hand over the wire to see if you should put a certain side down.

Have you had any problems placing day old chicks and older, directly on wire bottom brooder.

In cold weather I put a bottom in there, one of those plastic inserts for a dog cage. To clean it, I just take stuff off of it and turn it over. In the heat of summer they go straight on the wire.

 

[ChicKat]

Thanks for the good ideas everyone....

The chick waterer that is in the first post comes with two brackets -- I had thought that the other bracket would only work on cages like show cages -- but with a little wiggling it will install fine on HW cloth. These chicks just got kicked out of the brooder, but I'm going out of town and really want to have at LEAST two sources of water.


for a couple of days all 10 juveniles will have to be in here...they can't have the whole run. I'm worried about raccoons. Once I'm back they can streatch their wings a little more. The chicks in here that I purchased must have already experienced nipple waterer because they instantly were drinking... Then the chicks hatched here saw how cool it was and they wanted in on the fun. So there was a crowd at the water cooler:





recreational drinking -

The install just requires the correct bracket:


also have two feeders so there will always be enough and even the shy ones can find a place to feed -- Putting one under the ramp discourages the ones who perch on top of the feeder and poop in it.


When it's warm -- this could be a brooder if a plugged in heater -- for me preferably an 'electric hen' were to be added. but these are fully feathered so they don't require heat. My temperatures are 72-80 in the day 57-63 overnight.

 

[Mini Meat]

Going to be building a big brooder soon. I don't like brooding chicks so I want it to be as user friendly and efficient as possible. Good ideas here.

 

[kris86AR]

My 5 week old chicks finally started using the red auto cup waterer I made. I will get some pics up soon.

 

[MeepBeep]

Here is my 300 gallon stock tank brooder all setup in the house as Mother Nature is not cooperating with her outdoor temps and I had chicks arriving today...

 

[ChicKat]

Here is my 300 gallon stock tank brooder all setup in the house as Mother Nature is not cooperating with her outdoor temps and I had chicks arriving today...

cool!

 

[ChicKat]

Here is an idea I got from my BYC friend DianaMallory. When you first get them out of the incubator -- use "Puppy Pads" for the flooring. Usually I put down loads of paper towels in layers....Seems that Wood shavings would be like a mountain to their little legs....

She knew I wouldn't purchase them because I'm too cheap (cheep cheep)

So she mailed me some.

It is one quick flooring -- and rolls up more easily than the paper towels. As it extends into the time that they are getting older -- they don't have the shavings to kick into the water and feed....
Thinking now -- the pads are so low-cost at the store -- that it probably is about the same price as wads of paper towels and less work to set up. Probably more absorbent too.

Oh my wire mounted waterer that I posted earllier... HA -- came back to the enclosure they were in and a chick had had enough weight to knock it out of the mounting bracket and the whole - what was it quart of water spilled all over the shavings in the bottom and got them wet. I will try it again. I may not have put the lid on tightly enough -- and I will find a way to put a clasp or screw over the front so it can't dump all the water on the bedding.

 

[kris86AR]

Here is an idea I got from my BYC friend DianaMallory.  When you first get them out of the incubator -- use "Puppy Pads" for the flooring.  Usually I put down loads of paper towels in layers....Seems that Wood shavings would be like a mountain to their little legs....

She knew I wouldn't purchase them because I'm too cheap (cheep cheep)    So she mailed me some.  

It is one quick flooring -- and rolls up more easily than the paper towels.  As it extends into the time that they are getting older -- they don't have the shavings to kick into the water and feed....
Thinking now -- the pads are so low-cost at the store -- that it probably is about the same price as wads of paper towels and less work to set up.  Probably more absorbent too. 

Oh my wire mounted waterer that I posted earllier... HA -- came back to the enclosure they were in and a chick had had enough weight to knock it out of the mounting bracket and the whole - what was it quart of water spilled all over the shavings in the bottom and got them wet.  I will try it again.  I may not have put the lid on tightly enough -- and I will find a way to put a clasp or screw over the front so it can't dump all the water on the bedding.  

Good idea on puppy pads

 

[ChicKat]

forget where I got this, online -- and it raises the water above the shavings....so preserves clean water a bit longer...... use it outdoors in the coops too to keep dustbath dirt farther from the waterers.


I think just as I photoed this the Isbar male -- gave a little -- 'I'm the boss' peck to the little Isabel female...I just introduced the Isabel to keep the lone Legbar company -- the Isabels were hatched the 26th March -- so about 1 week from being ready to leave the brooder and live outside, and the Legbar is about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks older.


The reason I like these plastic tubs, is because 1. They let light in the sides, 2. the chicks see you approach from the side rather than just from above and 3. you do have more visibility of the chicks and their antics. They are relatively inexpensive compared to actually building a wooden brooder, and easy to clean. Stack when not in use, or hold all the chick raising supplies.....pretty practical.


Clean with new puppy pad, feed, water and a 'baby cake' from TSC so there is something to do other than be bored in the brooder........


A water trough brooder similar to the one mentioned by Meep Beep's -- and using discarded oven racks on the top. One of those green raised plastic circles is in the bottom under the feeder and waterer, the rest is wood shavings- Waterer is a dog dish -- because they cannot knock it over. Trade-off is they perch on the side and poop in it. But then they sit on the top of tall waterers and poop in those too. Yoiu know how chicks are.


The youngest two -- you may notice that this waterer is the one with the very narrow bottom - -it takes up less footprint - and is less danger of ever having a chick stampeded into a waterer that could drown a chick (have never experienced that)----

Never used a lamp - for fire and melting plastic concerns...my first brooders were cardboard boxes...but I prefer the visibilityof the plastic tubs.

Heaters -- the Brinsea -- is now so cracked that I cannot change the height and need to prop one end up with a brick when the chicks get too big for the lowest setting... In the water trough brooder, the electric heat plate -- easily adjustable height and more visibility underneath for chicks...also cheaper than Brinsea eco glow. Yes, I have the shield on top....keeps them from perching there.... These Isabel leghorns are flighter -- possibly a combination of the breed and the fact that to them the human hovering over is a giant predatory bird...??

The first incubator shown had a "mama Heating pad -- and the two Isabels in there are 1 week away from being 'fully feathered' -- so I removed it -- it is pretty disgusting about now.

Regarding your brooder needs, A lot depends on the number of chicks, how old the chicks "are and their size depending on breed. The water trough has 10 leghorns that are 3 1/2 weeks old on shavings -- the one with Brinsea ecoglow has 2 chicks a Legbar and an OEGB - those two girls are low maintenance -- little and sweet.

The other one has one Legbar -- a Splash Isbar cockerel who is way too big for there, but he is as a companion for the Legbar and just today put the two Isable leghorns in to be able to switch him out.

When that Isbar and Legbar -- both ready for outdoors were put with the bigger chicks - they kind of got run around -- so... I pulled them back indoors for a couple of days. (In that grow out pen there are already 3 cockerels.....so another one in the mix does require some pecking order adjustment )-- and still the Legbar was enough 'behind' them in age that I didn't want her to be run around endlessly by the older chicks.....

Of course if your hatches are large -- you couldn't get away with a tub for 4 weeks.... At one point I did put them in one of those $99 rabbit hutches in the ranch house.... when I first started hatching. Generally I have small hatches...... Now when these last two are out doors -- it will all be packed away until fall breeding season.

It's different for each of us of course...but for me, for this breeding season - this is the configuration that works for me.

The grow outs -- out doors (10 of them)



Maybe like chicken raising in general -- there are a zillion different ways to do it -- and it depends on what works best for you.