Old crib= great brooder!

[RoeDylanda]

Hi, all,

I was trying to cobble together something to keep the 5 week old chicks in, and this is working great!

It's just leftover junk I had in the cellar, scraps from the (still unfinished) coop, and an old drop-side crib. Those were all recalled I guess, so I can't give it away, but it's the perfect size for a brooder, light, and very easy to clean. I would recommend coating the bottom with some kind of sealer paint though. Otherwise, minimal effort and it looks nice!

Full disclosure, as I was typing this they dumped their water, which ran straight down the side and onto the floor.

 

[Bi0s]

 

[GAchick]

Hmmmmm..... I have an old crib in one of the sheds.... That means I can get more chicks!!!! (To my DS) 'Oh, Bobby..... I have a project for yooooouuu!'.

 

[PetRock]

Nice set up and great idea!

We just converted our old crib into a brooder, also! It is 29 yrs old and used by all six of our kids but no one will take it now so just junk sitting in our attic. We are still fine tuning it but will try to snap some pics today and post them. Are those screens on the side of yours? I really wanted to use acrylic sheets on one side until I looked at the price. We did use masonite on the bottom and back side. And I found a black vinyl mat at Target that is the perfect width for the bottom. I just roll it up and take it out to the compost to dump the shavings, poop, etc. So far, so good!

 

[crtrlovr]

What a great idea! Perfect way to put all those drop-side cribs to some good use!

 

[herefordlovinglady]

Quote:
cool idea.

you also need to go post in the beagle thread. i love your avatar https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=483726&p=1

 

[RoeDylanda]

Quote:
The screens are across the front. They don't seem to fit any of the windows in the house, but were stashed in the cellar! I have a plywood scrap across the back. I'll go look at Target for one of those mats! I'm using a dustpan at the moment, but it's messier.

Hereford, Sandy's actually a coonhound, rescued from a puppy mill. She's as stubborn as a beagle but roughly twice the size.

Also not as smart as I've heard b eagles are! Thanks though.

 

[PetRock]

The mat from Target was 27 in by 72 in. I just cut the length I needed and have a left over piece for some other chicken project! If I remember right, it was only around $10. I unpackaged it and left it outside for a couple days to gas off.