Latest and greatest ideas for streamlined brooders

[ChicKat]

Hi Everyone---

This thread is based on a question that Kris86AR put in a different thread -- and it struck me that it needs a thread of its own where it won't be limited to just one breed's readers.

What ARE the newest ideas for having the best brooders for our chicks. Have you gone from cardboard box brooder, to plastic tub brooder - to metal water trough - like the feed stores have -- then built one?

What works, what are the advantages and disadvantages and what new products are breakthroughs?

My biggest problem is water -- in shavings they kick the shavings into the water (oh and poop too) -- A friend of mine on BYC told me about using Puppy pads. Now those are great until they spill the water over the puppy pads and the brooder is a soggy mess beside the waterer.

A couple of years ago I bought this:




Designed for chick brooder, and I didn't install because I was reluctant to drill holes in the brooder wall.

What good ideas are you using -- what works what doesn't? Pictures would help and also detailed installation instructions. Thanks!

 

[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

 

[kris86AR]

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

My brother just built a waterer like this for his brooder couple of days ago it looks effective

 

[Pork Pie]

They work well and are multi-functional, i.e. you can hang them anywhere and adjust the height, as you wish

CT

 

[ChicKat]

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.

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.
Thread seal tape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_seal_tape

Wikipedia

 

[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.

 

[MeepBeep]

This is my 'young' brooder water bottle...

As they get older I have several of these 4ish gallon olive containers with horizontal nipples installed on three sides for the brooder...

For all intents any dripping/waste evaporates so no wet litter...

As for brooder ideas, I have several but it's mostly using what I have, cost would be a factor if you don't have the stuff already...

For young birds they get plastic bins in a wire rack shelf, slide the bin in and the shelf above becomes the lid...

As they get older I move them into one of these, it's a dog/cat store display left over from my pet shop ownership days, I turn it upright so the doors are on top for the chicks...

And last but no least, I have a shipment of 19 chicks due this week and wanted something with more space so I build a simply lid for a 300ish gallon 3’x2’x8′ livestock stock/water tank that I had sitting around...

 

[kris86AR]

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.

 

[kris86AR]

This is my 'young' brooder water bottle...

As they get older I have several of these 4ish gallon olive containers with horizontal nipples installed on three sides for the brooder...

For all intents any dripping/waste evaporates so no wet litter...

As for brooder ideas, I have several but it's mostly using what I have, cost would be a factor if you don't have the stuff already...

For young birds they get plastic bins in a wire rack shelf, slide the bin in and the shelf above becomes the lid...

As they get older I move them into one of these, it's a dog/cat store display left over from my pet shop ownership days, I turn it upright so the doors are on top for the chicks...

And last but no least, I have a shipment of 19 chicks due this week and wanted something with more space so I build a simply lid for a 300ish gallon 3’x2’x8′ livestock stock/water tank that I had sitting around...

I haven't seen this type of red auto watered you attached to the bottle. Can the small chicks get water out of that style better than the red auto cup style? And do you like these better than the red ones mounted to bottom of container?

 

[MeepBeep]

I haven't seen this type of red auto watered you attached to the bottle. Can the small chicks get water out of that style better than the red auto cup style? And do you like these better than the red ones mounted to bottom of container?

They are called 'horizontal' nipples, and yes even day old chicks can get water out of them if you mount them at the proper height...

And IMO they are far superior to the vertical nipples that go on the bottom of containers as vertical nipples almost always drip and leak, rarely if ever do the horizontal ones leak as they are spring loaded and seal up tight...