What do you use for an Indoor brood box

[Avian Allie]

I need an indoor brood box for chicks and ducklings. I used a plastic storage tote until it broke. I was hoping for something more durable, but I have to be able to move it inside and out for cleaning. What do you use? TIA

 

[cherrynberry]

I used a guinea pig cage

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you must brood inside a bathtub or even enclosed shower works well, lined with paper towels with bedding over that. Relatively easy to clean, since you can just pull up the paper towels to toss the used bedding, then scrub and rinse it out once you're done.

 

[Avian Allie]

If you must brood inside a bathtub or even enclosed shower works well, lined with paper towels with bedding over that. Relatively easy to clean, since you can just pull up the paper towels to toss the used bedding, then scrub and rinse it out once you're done.

That’s how I’ve raised all my ducklings! It works well, but having my shower out of use/really hard to get to is not so great. I have one brooder box with mother and hens, and I’m going to build another. But I like giving my chicks a bit inside first, to watch them. Also, with a full brooder I need somewhere to put the freshly hatched so they don’t run out of room!

 

[M Brennen]

I found that a large (small animal) cage with a heat plate worked great. It was safe and easy to clean. Of course it depends on how many you are brooding. I had thirty chicks and needed to move them to a larger space at 4 weeks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That’s how I’ve raised all my ducklings! It works well, but having my shower out of use/really hard to get to is not so great. I have one brooder box with mother and hens, and I’m going to build another. But I like giving my chicks a bit inside first, to watch them. Also, with a full brooder I need somewhere to put the freshly hatched so they don’t run out of room!

Yeah we have more showers than people so using one is no biggie, but if you don't have the extra bathroom to spare that's an issue.

Um, cardboard box would be the easiest temporary option, since you just toss it when done, and can expand it by cutting holes and attaching more cardboard boxes.

 

[50-45-1]

I use cardboard box from grocery store or hardware.
I put down many layers of newspaper, cut bottom out of box or have the bottom up. Cut an access in top of box for heat lamp. Cut door access in one side for changing food and water.
To clean I lift box slightly on the front, and pull about 4 layers of newspaper out. Add a couple handfuls of shavings put back in fresh water and food. Done until tomorrow.
Dont think this will work with ducks as they are wetter.
I only brood 12-20 chicks at a time and all chicks are out of the house at two weeks. Cant stand the noise smell and dust after that.

 

[DouglasB]

I built one from some scrap in the shop, it has two compartment. The partition can be removed as the chicks grow for more room.

 

[DesertGrrl]

A 50 gallon Sterilite container.
I have 13 little chicks in it (1 week old and couple days old).
I will upgrade to a 110 stock tank when they get bigger.

 

[mcdze]

i guess it depends on how many your brooding .. a good sized cardboard box works well for up to 12 or so, id say about 20X32" is perfect ... to me more than that is a 'major' operation i wouldnt actually want in the house lol .. here is my 'refined' brooder setup ive developed over 10+ years time lol ..
.. a previous poster said about 2 weeks inside is the limit and i agree for the most part .. if you have more than about 4 chicks they are more active and really make a mess fast and lots of dust by 2 weeks .. you can extend the inside stay by changing out the heat source like incandecent to led light and covering the box with a sheet to reduce dust ... ive found grass or hay works best so have plenty onhand to change the box out every couple of days .. just put the chicks in another box and dump the contents on the burnpile and reload lol .. its pretty easy to keep two actual boxes in operation and one pre-readied to just switch the chicks into also ... but yes the only thing missing in the pic are teh two large lids i use for food and water for about the first 4-5 days .. then we switch to the coffee mugs retained by a screwdriver in the corners .. this works phenomenal to cut down on wasted food and them playing in the water and soaking things ..'.. then at about 2 weeks we start going outside 'when im home' and the weather is ok during the daylight hours in the wire cage i made up .. this familiarizes them to the outdoors and my other girls .. then theyre back in at night to the box which will be needing a wire top real quick .. this routine will go on until about 4-5 weeks and the box will likely be moved to the garage at some point in-between, then they'll move in to the wired off end of my coop and be locked in there for a couple weeks until im confident theyre ready, know where home and their entrance is, and will come to me in the evening .. then theyre out free ranging with the girls ... so again i described my 'small' operation .. larger will need to be rethought, but in the house, nah, i couldnt handle 100 chicks in a bin in the house lol ... in fact my strategy thusfar has just been to hatch out a batch of chicks and only keep a several choice ones from the hatch to build my flock and give the rest away .. surprising how easy it is to unload chicks lol ...