My poults keep outgrowing their brooder box!

[happydog]

Help! I've been giving them bigger and bigger cardboard boxes as they grow. But now they're in a wardrobe box on my kitchen counter and DH is starting to complain. I want to build them a real brooder. How big do you make it for turkeys? I read the brooder threads and saw cute little brooders made out of rubbermaid boxes but they're waaaay too small for turkey poults. I'm amazed how fast these little suckers have grown in two weeks. At this rate I'm worried I'll have to build them their own bedrooms next month!

I need to know how much space you need per poult or some general guidelines specifically for TURKEY brooders.

I've got 6 Bourbon Reds that are two weeks old. And I just picked up 6 Royal Palm babies and three chicks. (No I'm not addicted and I wish everybody would quit calling me that

. On the other hand if I could find somebody around here with Midget Whites I'd like to try some of those too.

) But I can see that I'll be needing a brooder on an ongoing basis so I might as well build something that I can reuse.

Can anybody give me some guidance as far as space requirements for poults? Also, what's the best material for their floors, for ease of cleaning?

Thanks!

 

[moetrout]

I don't know how much help this is, but I just had 6 chicks and 1 poult. They are outside now and in the nick of time because the poult was touching his head to the top of the brooder. Mine was an old wooden shipping crate that is 2' X 4' and 20" high. For the amount of turkeys you have I'd suggest pulling a permit and starting that new bedroom!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

We have a number of brooders for poults. I don't really use a square foot size. The smallest brooder is the spare bathroom tub, next is a 2 foot x 6 foot wooden box from there they go to the brooder barn that has three 4 foot by 4 foot square boxes. after that they go to a covered maturnity pen which is about 10 feet square. these pics aren't the best but they might help

2X6

Brooder barn box ready to new poults moving out this weekend.

Steve

 

[ChanceRider]

I found several 4' x 4' x 2' tall orchard boxes on Craigslst that work great as brooders. I build a simple 1" x 3" wood and wire top that can be attached with hinges. Best part about the boxes was that they're very sturdy with reinforced corners and were free!