Making a brooder, and, can someone post a photo of a nipple waterer for chicks?

[Betsysbabyservices]

I've seen lots of ideas on making a brooder and wanted some feedback. I've seen brooders made of galvanized tubs, cardboard boxes, the bathtub with towels in it. I'm wondering, does anyone ever use a rubbermaid tub?

what do you do to make a nipple waterer for chicks, and, how do you teach them how to use it?

 

[Hawgon]

I am also watching this thread for a reply Betsy....Very interested in a brooder nipple waterer system....

 

[the_great_snag]

I have used Rubbermaid tubs before for very small bunches of chicks. The only real problem with them is they can't be easily closed off to keep out cats and dogs, etc. Your chicks will also outgrow them rather rapidly unless you only have 2 or 3.

Basically you can use about anything to house chicks as long as you have a safe way to keep it warm and draft-free. I've used everything from cardboard boxes to tables laid on their side against a corner of my basement.

One major consideration though should be cleaning up after you are done. I like to use something that can be washed out or shoveled clean with a minimum of fuss.

Other tips I have learned the hard way: keep your feeders and waterers elevated as high as you can without placing them out of reach of your chicks. You will have far less trouble with litter and poop in your waterers. I usually place mine on a couple bricks after the first week or so, or an overturned pan, etc.

I can't really offer you any advice on nipples, but check out the various hatcheries' websites. There are a myriad of possibilities out there, depending on your set up. I believe the chicks' natural curiosity is more than enough for them to figure out how to use most drinking systems.

I am currently brooding a half dozen peeps in a rabbit cage. These can be nice for small groups of birds. The only downfall to mine is the floor is very smooth and the chicks seem to slip around in their shavings and stumble a lot. Other than that it has a front door and a large top door and is tall enough to suspend a 250 watt light inside without overheating the floor or the chicks.

For large bunches, I build plywood/OSB enclosures about 2 feet tall and 4' by 8' wide with poultry mesh on top and at least one access door. I leave the bottom open and place it on concrete. This way I can move it gently to one side, like a chicken tractor, and shovel up the mess the birds leave behind. Another advantage is you can easily run 2 heat lamps in such a large enclosure. Redundancy is always good when you are talking about dozens of little lives depending on a light bulb not burning out.

 

[Hawgon]

This is what I came up with for our 6 chicks.....Only took them a day to adapt to the nipples...Our RIR used the nipples the first 5 minutes.....Use a planter as a resevoir(about1.5gal)works great....