Updated with Pic's and Chicks:)Brooding without using lights/electricity/

[Riversilk]

Well I combined various suggestions and came up with the following:
1)One Glass Rat cage from thrift store.
2)One insulated blanket from thrift store.
3) One piece of bubble insulation laying around the house
4) one piece of thick Styrofoam insulation for a base under the tank
5) two glass jars with lids that I turned into oil lamps for heat. and two tin cans for covers for lamps.
6) sand for bedding.

I put these materials together and came up with a very serviceable brooder for small chicks for less than $9.00.

It works great, chicks are happy with only happy peeps and the best part is that they sleep at night since there is no bright light. This is a great alternative to using electricity if your power is out or if like me you have very limited electricity because you live off the grid. I have found that it is easy to adjust the temp by adding a lamp or adding more covers on the top or by opening up the top for more fresh air. there is little to no smell and the chicks seem very content snuggling up to their "mother" tin can. I need someone to crochet me a wool chicken cover for the can lol..

paper towels are down for the new chicks until they are eating well.





Chicks are Blue Laced Red Wyandottes still waiting on one or two more. Thanks to the folks who offered up suggestions to my problem! Worked out great.



am curious if anyone knows of a good way to brood chicks without using an electrical source for warmth. Aside from the obvious way of using a hen. I ask this because I live off the grid and have a limited amount of electricity to use. I am interested to know if anyone has successfully brooded chicks using hot water bottles, heat packs, hot stones or who knows what else. I have thought of using various heat sources such as these in a well insulated brood container. I would like to know your ideas if you have done this and your outcomes. I have raised chicks successfully many times in the past but always had "instant" electricity or a broody hen. I am expecting checks to hatch on Saturday and would love to keep them at my house if possible. Otherwise I will keep them at my friends where I am running the incubator. Thanks for your experience!

 

[Yiannisk]

It is easy but my English are not good to explain it
You need a tin about 6 inches diameter an one smaller both open one side then you open on the big tin some holes on the side very close to the blind side then you fill the small tin with one inch of water and the rest with cooking oil and put in a floating wing here are sold this kind of wings and used as candles in the church you light it and put over it the big one the chicks gather around the warm - hot big tin you just have to replenish the oil when they get a little older there is danger to push the big tin just put something heavy on top (a brick)

 

[kingsfarm]

Yiannisk, thank you for your wisdom....please don't let a thing such as spelling or any other barrier stop you from taking part in these questions....I appreciate you....Kingsfarm In times to come if I cannot afford electricity and need a brooder this information will certainly be IMPORTANT used with care naturally....where are you...

 

[Fred's Hens]

Kerosene type heaters. The Mennonites and Amish still use them to both incubate and brood. I think if you search, you can still find internet sources to buy both kerosene type and perhaps more modern propane type. Since so many Old Order folks are into poultry, there is still quite a demand. Plus, large scale brooders for the commercial industry don't use electricity. They use propane or natural gas for the economy of scale.

 

[Yiannisk]

I was born in Cyprus and this was the way my grand mother was raising chicks before we get electricity buck in 1955 now i live in Greece
As you can presume i am very young he he he he

 

[cva34]

Kerosene Lantern work great Just mount or hang in a way you can fill it easy and it Can Not Be Turned OVER .If you never used one if you turn it up Too High it will smoke and soot up.When I was a Kid thats all we had and they worked fine .Raised Thousands of chicks with them.If its real cold might have to use 2/3 .....cva34

 

[Yiannisk]

DIY is cheaper Imo in these days

 

[Riversilk]

I think I might try the tin can with floating wick one! I just need to find some floating wicks. I remember my grandmother having them. Thanks so much for the responses. I will only have 7 or 8 chicks this time if all hatch well but am planning more in the future so want ot get a good system going if I don't have a broody hen or have an emergency.. Thanks again!

 

[MamaRoo]

I just spent two weeks on a boat with no heater. My friend used two methods to take the chill off the air:

Two terracotta flower pots, one smaller so it fits inside the bigger one. Set them both upside down over the propane burner. They get quite hot. You could probably modify this to work with the candle, if you wanted the outside of the system to be heavier.

Lantern with super clean burning paraffin lamp oil. No smell, no smoke, no toxic fumes. We got the oil at Ace Hardware.

 

[Riversilk]

Thanks! My brain is turning with possibilities