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Spring 2017 first timers post!

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I just lost one of my Barred Rocks today. She was always weak and never moved around much. The day I brought her home she just lay under the heat lamp and didn't move. Since she would occasionally get up and eat or drink I was hoping it was a personality thing. I still have two Barred Rocks, Three Australorps and three Rhode Island Reds The Barred Rocks are a week old now and have at least doubled in size. the rest are only a couple of days old. I'm putting grit in their food because they won't stop pecking at the bedding.
 
csharpdev said:


Baby chicks have arrived from McMurry.

12x ARAUCANA
12x NEW HAMPSHIRE
6x BLACK AUSTRALORP
1x Free Rare
1x Free extra NH
Click to expand...

@csharpdev I'm curious about your brooder setup! I'm getting a similar number of chicks and will be setting up MHP (I assume that's what you're using?). Care to share your blueprints?
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Treerooted said:
@csharpdev I'm curious about your brooder setup! I'm getting a similar number of chicks and will be setting up MHP (I assume that's what you're using?). Care to share your blueprints?
wink.png
Click to expand...

I had intended to take pictures and write a blog post about the brooder construction but didn't start building it until the weekend before the chicks were due so that didn't happen. I'll try and describe what I did and show the few pictures I do have.

The base is a 4ft x 8ft pallet. The 6 legs/uprights are 2x4's from other pallets. Some of the pallets I have are made with 2x4's without cut out in them and the top boards extended beyond the sides of the pallet.

The 2x4's extend up about 24" above the top of the pallet and about 8 (or 10 I forget) inches below the pallet. I originally had the leg portion longer but I have young children and I wanted them to be able to help with the chicks.

The "floor" of the brooder is an 8ft x 4ft piece of hardboard (aka cheapest sheet of something I could find at lowes). The sides were also going to be hardboard but I felt it was a bit too flimsy so the sides are 5mm plywood. To give some support to the top of the sides I attached the top boards from the above mentioned pallets to the top.

The cave looking thing is sort-of a double MHP. It had 2 heating pads attached to welded wire fencing with packing tape. I kept going back and forth on whether to build one big MHP or 2 smaller ones and in what configuration. I ended up cutting the side of the fencing of one of the MHP's and attaching to the front of the other. After getting the chicks I realized that all 32 chicks would have fit under one heating pad but as they get bigger they may still need some extra warmth and it might have gotten crowded if I only used one pad. There are 2 small openings in the towels draped over the top, one in the back corner and one around where the 2 MHP's meet.

If you have any questions I'd be happy to try and explain further or attempt more details.







 
Our babies are in the state! (I wish my move from around Kansas city to Maine was so quick lol) I called the post office to let them know to call me when they arrive in town. I absolutely cannot wait
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