The chicks came a day early!!!
Tonight was supposed to be a laid back preparation, getting ready to just plop 8 turkeys and 20 meaties into their temporary homes.
Then the post office called at 3PM and said "They're heeeeeeeeere!" So the oldest daughter and I put our non-existent carpentry skills to work.
The first brooder was constructed of a workbench that was left in the barn when we moved in. It's old, but very study. And very heavy! I used scraps of 1" x 1" wire from rabbit cages, pet resistant screening (also left here), and random bits of lumber left around. The only thing that really "cost" anything was the hinges and hasp, which were purchased for the turkey tractor. I use a little clip I had lying around to secure the hasp.
The front (when everyone was in here, as we created the chicken's brooder). We had to add the board you see in the lower left, as I didn't anticipate how much they would dog pile in front of the light. A few of them were getting smooshed through the wire. Yikes!
Right side
Left side
The light convenient clips to the top, and is secured with two nails
The turkeys getting all cuddly
And here is the box for the chickens. This was an old chest my oldest daughter swore - for months - she didn't want. It sat, lost, abandoned, unused, in the garage, collecting discarded toys and dust. So we cleaned it out and re-purposed it. Her life, my dear BYC friends, is now over. As soon as she saw the first hole being drilled, she had an epiphany, and realized how much she loved that chest, and wanted to keep it for her own.
How tragic that is end this way at age 10.
That's it. Boyfriend cut a square hole in one side and a round hole in the other. We covered it with more scraps of 1" x 1" wire. His ammo can came in handy to secure the light/prevent fires. We didn't put a front window in, since we will be observing them from above. He drilled approximately a dozen 3/4" holes around the top edge for increased ventilation.
Since my last brooding expedition ended up with water everywhere, I drilled small holes in the bottom and attached them to heavy pieces of wood. The screw threads were wrapped in seal tape to keep leakage to a minimum.
I just hope the chickens don't outgrow their box before they're feathered enough to be on pasture!
Then the post office called at 3PM and said "They're heeeeeeeeere!" So the oldest daughter and I put our non-existent carpentry skills to work.
The first brooder was constructed of a workbench that was left in the barn when we moved in. It's old, but very study. And very heavy! I used scraps of 1" x 1" wire from rabbit cages, pet resistant screening (also left here), and random bits of lumber left around. The only thing that really "cost" anything was the hinges and hasp, which were purchased for the turkey tractor. I use a little clip I had lying around to secure the hasp.
The front (when everyone was in here, as we created the chicken's brooder). We had to add the board you see in the lower left, as I didn't anticipate how much they would dog pile in front of the light. A few of them were getting smooshed through the wire. Yikes!
Right side
Left side
The light convenient clips to the top, and is secured with two nails
The turkeys getting all cuddly
And here is the box for the chickens. This was an old chest my oldest daughter swore - for months - she didn't want. It sat, lost, abandoned, unused, in the garage, collecting discarded toys and dust. So we cleaned it out and re-purposed it. Her life, my dear BYC friends, is now over. As soon as she saw the first hole being drilled, she had an epiphany, and realized how much she loved that chest, and wanted to keep it for her own.
How tragic that is end this way at age 10.
That's it. Boyfriend cut a square hole in one side and a round hole in the other. We covered it with more scraps of 1" x 1" wire. His ammo can came in handy to secure the light/prevent fires. We didn't put a front window in, since we will be observing them from above. He drilled approximately a dozen 3/4" holes around the top edge for increased ventilation.
Since my last brooding expedition ended up with water everywhere, I drilled small holes in the bottom and attached them to heavy pieces of wood. The screw threads were wrapped in seal tape to keep leakage to a minimum.
I just hope the chickens don't outgrow their box before they're feathered enough to be on pasture!
