Show me your brooder set-up!

[rebeccaH86]

Great brooder! Wonderful pic, and a good example of a brooder setup mentioned in my article. With your permission could I use the pic in the article? I would tag you underneath to give credit

Thank you , I don't have a problem with you using the photo no credit needed though .

 

[CHlCKEN]

Thank you , I don't have a problem with you using the photo no credit needed though .

Thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are you brooding in your house, in an outbuilding, or somewhere else. My brooder is set up in the coop, it's a little different out there than if I were brooding in the house. My biggest challenge brooding outside is the temperature swings. In my opinion a brooder needs to provide a warm spot in the coldest of conditions and a cool spot in the warmest conditions. In a climate controlled location like in your house that can be pretty easy to do. Outside it is more challenging, I've had it go from below freezing to in the 70's Fahrenheit in 36 hours or less.

This is the best photo I have of my brooder. I use 1/2" hardware cloth for the floor and put plastic bins underneath to catch the poop. It keeps the brooder really dry, which I consider important. When it is really cold I put a piece of plywood on the floor to hold the heat in and just tilt it to clean the brooder. If is is pretty cold the plastic goes all the way to the top. I personally would not use a wire bottomed brooder in my house.

I use a heat lamp to provide warmth. Heat plates and heating pads can work safely if you set them up right but I find a heat lamp allows you to brood more chicks. If you use a heat lamp I strongly suggest you throw that clamp away so you are not tempted to use it and firmly attach your lamp in place with wire or chain. Do not use string or plastic that can burn or melt but use wire or chain. That should eliminate the vast majority of risks associated with a heat lamp. Of course, any time you use electricity you need to be careful no matter what heat source you are using.

The size of the brooder depends on the number of chicks you are brooding and how old they will be when you take them out. They grow very fast.

Keep your brooder dry. A wet brooder is a dangerous brooder. Make sure your waterer does not leak. Don't let the poop build up so thick that it stays wet.

A basic brooder needs food, water, protection from the environment, and protection from predators. By protection from the environment I mean rain, wind, and a spot warm enough and a spot cool enough. It also means keep it dry. If you brood in your house predators may be your pets or kids.

There are all kinds of ways to do this. As long as you take care of the basics there isn't a lot of magic in it.

Good luck!

 

[rosemarythyme]

For heat I use a mama heating pad which gets disassembled after use.

For bedding, I use my deep litter run floor. Rake it up in a pile, sprinkle a bit of wood shavings to make it fluffier, plop the brooder on top, and done. Zero clean up, zero odor. To "clean" it I simply move the brooder and the hens come in, scratch everything up, and the spot is good as new.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

I'll have to show you my setup when I get chicks. Last year I bought a nice brooder box with an arm to hang a heat lamp off of. It is on legs and has a poop tray. I put newspapers down for young chicks, and also will sometimes have paper down for them to sleep on at night. The downside is, I only use a 125 watt bulb, (I think that's what it is), and the only 125 watt heat bulb that the feed store sells is white. I like how easy the white light makes it to see the chicks, but it's not very nice at night since the brooder box is in my bedroom, and boy is that light ever bright!

 

[K0k0shka]

it's not very nice at night since the brooder box is in my bedroom, and boy is that light ever bright!

That's how the chicks feel about it, too! They need a dark night for a good sleep like we do. Consider using a brooder plate instead, or better yet - make one yourself! It's cheap and easy, and better for the chicks (and for your bedroom at night).

 

[jlpierce45]

Here is my brooder for this year! It is kept in my garage. I was given this house by a family friend and only needed to attach hardware cloth on the front to prevent chicks escaping. It is surprising just how many things can be transformed into brooders!

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Here's the brooder without chicks *yet* hopefully it will have babies in it by the end of the day!! I still need to do some setup for the chicks: hang the lamp, fill feeder with starter and a bit of grit, and fill the waterer with water mixed with probiotics and electrolytes!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Here's my setup from last year. This year I'll do it again only with a bigger box.

I made my own heating plate with a heating blanket. Heating lamps are dangerous and unnatural. I used sand for the bedding and absolutely loved it! Easy to clean, cheap (you don't throw out tons of soiled bedding), not as dusty as shavings, and it didn't smell. I'm doing sand again this year.

What kind of sand did you use?

 

[K0k0shka]

What kind of sand did you use?

Play sand from Home Depot.