Newspaper for "bedding"?

[JJMR794]

Um the multiple sheets of paper for easy clean up thing..... uh, it dont work so well..... quail chicks poo is awful wet, it kinda soaks through. Sorry.

It may work for you, but it hasnt for me

 

[Bettacreek]

I'll take your word on it.

How many layers do you use to keep the bottom of the brooder from fouling up?

 

[JJMR794]

I use the rubbermaid totes as brooders.....

I line them with 4 to 6 "sections of paper and when they get dirty i shuffle on out to the barn and grab a clean 1 off the stack, line it, place clean water font and feeder in it drag it in the house and announce "Moving day!" then commence to ferrying fuzzzy butts to the new brooder. when i'm done i empty the dirty 1 and set it out back. i spray out any matter i can and fill it 1/2 full of water with a cup or 2 of bleach and the place the food/ water accessories in it and soak for a an hour or so. rinse it out and allow to air dry and then drag it in the barn and add it to the bottom of the stack..... ( I kinda have it down to a system...)

But i am always having multiple hatches, and multiple speces of chicks each week. So this is the easiest and most effective way for me. I usually check the brooders 1st thing when i get home from work and just do the ones that need it as they need it. Kinda depends on how many fuzzybutts are in them--- more= sooner brooder cleanings, less= longer time between cleanings. Age of the chicks plays a big part too--- Older and larger chicks poo more, so less time between cleanings...

 

[Bettacreek]

Thank you! I only have the one brooder. It's a 20g long tank, but it's an antique, so it has the slate bottom. I'll probably have to use a whole bargain sheet (maybe 20 pages) for it so that it doesn't soak down into the slate (eww). I used to have sterilite tubs as well, but I got rid of them when I moved.

To be honest, the only reason I kept the brooder is because it was an antique. I had gotten rid of my other 20g long tanks. I kept 4 tanks out of over 20. I didn't keep any cages or bird supplies, except the stuff that I had put in this brooder to save space. That consists of a quail waterer base and some quail egg trays and that's it.

Sorry, went off on a bit of a sad tangent.

 

[saa5k]

I used cardboard boxes as brooder in the beginning, then they were dropping water and pooping in the water and food container and the newspaper and old magazines from local libraries I used as shavings, I tore them up in tiny pieces (actually gave them as an activity to my 3 kids to do for one weeks worth of shavings). I replace newspaper everyday, built a brooder from an old computer desk that I put on craigslist which no one wanted to buy, lined it up with cardboard on the bottom and put lots of "newspaper" shavings (made at home) and the 5 chicks are doing fine, no spradle legs of other deformations. They are about 5 weeks old now, straight run. Now I got them a 1 gallon gravity water container so I don't have to worry about spilled water or them doing poopoo in small dishes of water we were using in the beginning.

I hope there are more hens than roosters, because then there will be more eggs (at least chances are...

). This is all going on in the garage, we open the garage door up every day once or twice a day to air out the "poop" smell and our garage is practically empty (except kids bicycles) so we don't have to worry about stinking valuable things. We live in a rental home, so I am not sure when I will have a chance to move them outside in the backyard and keep them there without landlord finding out (I don't want to pay the pet deposit, that's why). Plus, I am worried that the chicken wire will not protect them from any snakes, raccoons, mice, etc. since they are only 5 weeks old now. How long should I wait before I move them outside, 8 weeks, so they will be strong enough to battle with their enemies if they encounter any?

 

[veggiecanner]

I was hoping to get a paper shreader at the thrift store and shread news paper for the brooder.
would be good in the compost pile.