Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[birdman55]

Grateful to be able to say I am immune to chicks days at TSC...other than the obligatory Awwwww.

I have six 3 week old OE chicks with a broody out in the coop and plans to set a couple dozen OE and Welsumer here in the next few weeks.


Sure wish I could find an empty refrigerator box for a brooder......might have to build one out of wood to get the size, shape and functionality I want.

HEY AART I HAVE AN EXTRA ONE...I PAID 20 BUCKS FOR IT....BUT AS YOU KNOW I BOUGHT SOME INCUBATORS...AND ITS JUST SITTING HERE...YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR FREE....UP TO YOU...SITTING IN THE FRONT DRIVE WAY...IT IS A TOP AND BOTTOM UNIT....ALL YOURS IF YOU WANT IT...

 

[Opa]

Over the years I've tried a variety of brooders, but the best I've ever used was a round one that I sat on newsapers in the middle of the garage floor. I made it using a fiber duct board that comes in a 1/8x4x8 sheet. Cut in half and joined end to end you windup with a 2' tall circle about 5' across. One common problem with brooding chicks is crushing injuries caused by piling. That occurs when cold or frightened chicks gather in a tight clump. This is why I prefer using a round brooder as there are no corners to allow a bird to become trapped.

With two people it is easy to raise the ring and slowly move it and the chicks to clean newspaper. When brooding is complete remove tape used to join ends and store flat til needed again.

 

[aart]

Quote: A refrigerator....or the cardboard box it came in?

 

[Trefoil]

I have 60 eggs plus 60 quail eggs hatching this weekend and yet I still brought home 15 Light Brahma chicks from the farm store. They are so addictive...I couldn't help myself!

I've been looking for lt brahmas, its a good thing the tsc's around here don't have them.

Grateful to be able to say I am immune to chicks days at TSC...other than the obligatory Awwwww.

I have six 3 week old OE chicks with a broody out in the coop and plans to set a couple dozen OE and Welsumer here in the next few weeks.


Sure wish I could find an empty refrigerator box for a brooder......might have to build one out of wood to get the size, shape and functionality I want.

I missed out on that vaccination, I wonder if my parents were anti vaxxers?

Over the years I've tried a variety of brooders, but the best I've ever used was a round one that I sat on newsapers in the middle of the garage floor. I made it using a fiber duct board that comes in a 1/8x4x8 sheet. Cut in half and joined end to end you windup with a 2' tall circle about 5' across. One common problem with brooding chicks is crushing injuries caused by piling. That occurs when cold or frightened chicks gather in a tight clump. This is why I prefer using a round brooder as there are no corners to allow a bird to become trapped.

With two people it is easy to raise the ring and slowly move it and the chicks to clean newspaper. When brooding is complete remove tape used to join ends and store flat til needed again.

What do you use to cover it with? That sounds like a good size & easy to store.

 

[Opa]

A cheap bird netting works great, and when the temps were real cold I use a plastic tarp over part of it insuring that it is no where near the heat lamp

 

[ChickenWing]

Liking this Cubalaya cross a lot!

With that texture of the concrete behind him, it almost looks like a painting on canvas. I had to do a double take lol

 

[tntchix]

Over the years I've tried a variety of brooders, but the best I've ever used was a round one that I sat on newsapers in the middle of the garage floor. I made it using a fiber duct board that comes in a 1/8x4x8 sheet. Cut in half and joined end to end you windup with a 2' tall circle about 5' across. One common problem with brooding chicks is crushing injuries caused by piling. That occurs when cold or frightened chicks gather in a tight clump. This is why I prefer using a round brooder as there are no corners to allow a bird to become trapped.

With two people it is easy to raise the ring and slowly move it and the chicks to clean newspaper. When brooding is complete remove tape used to join ends and store flat til needed again.

That sounds so so much easier than my watermelon box brooder I used.

 

[tntchix]

My day consisted of :
an escape artist chicken who apparently spent the night and part of the morning under the deck Cookie is fine and even laid her egg this afternoon.

call to get a septic tank clean out tomorrow

dang kids think they have to wear toilet paper mittens when they go

some kind of animal in the ceiling...again

I'm going to bed.

 

[uchytil]

Purebred Nigerian Dwarf kids are due in April! Whoohoo! Two does are confirmed bred through pregnancy testing (send in blood, get results by email). One doe hasn't settled. She's had four dates and is STILL open. I think it is because she doesn't like the buck I am pimping her with. She likes my other one who is older (and MUCH smellier). But the young guy got the other two bred, so he can do it without issues (he does stink, just not as much).

I have some Araucana eggs about to go into lockdown, too. They'll be basement chicks, hah!

Hey great news. Percy bred Heather so I'll have some purebreds also. She's due mid-March. Not convinced he was able to get my two Toggies though. I'm sending a short PM about the blood testing.

 

[uchytil]

Opa's round brooder is a great idea and stores flat. I use one of my many stock tanks which have rounded corners and never a pile up. My favorite fabrication is a camera tripod with an extension arm that hangs my heat lamp. I can adjust angle/height/position quickly to maintain proper temps. Plus it's about as safe as I can imagine.