What to have in a brooder

[chickencoop789]

This is my first time ordering chicks. I want to make sure that I have everything that I need in the brooder. Water, food, bedding, heat lamp. Anything else? I would also appreciate some tips to a first timer.

 

[aoxa]

I usually have a grit feeder.. But it's not really necessary until they start having treats. I do find they really like it, and it's good for them to get used to.

I usually have stuff for them to climb on. Something to set their water and food on, because they make a real mess of it. I recommend bricks.

Oh and you'll need a comfy chair that keeps your back supported so you can gawk at the chickies for hours Oh and a camera

 

[chickencoop789]

There is this thing called GroGel Plus B. Its supposed to rehydrate and energize the chicks after you get them. Do I really need it or will regular old water do the trick?

http://www.chickensforbackyards.com/GroGel-Plus-B-100-Dose-80900CB.htm

 

[Judy]

No you don't really need it unless they are severely stressed when they arrive, and then you may well lose some anyway. Many on here never buy something like that.

You can buy a small bottle of a sports drink and put a mouthful in their waterer a few times, which will give them some sugar energy and some electrolytes. You can put a spoonful of plain live culture yogurt in a small dish (or your palm) and mix a little chick crumble in, which will give them some probiotics and protein, plus accustom them to your hand.

Or you can just give them chick feed and water; they will probably do fine on them.

 

[kborges]

We made our chicks a "little" roost for their brooder. They play on it during the day. It's basic construction. 2 plywood triangles with 1x2's going across (the triangles make up the ends).

It's not a necessary item but it's been fun to see them work out their pecking order. One will hop to the top bar, then another ....They will roost on it during the day but still huddle together to sleep at night (under their light).

Karen

 

[CAjerseychick]

There is this thing called GroGel Plus B. Its supposed to rehydrate and energize the chicks after you get them. Do I really need it or will regular old water do the trick?

http://www.chickensforbackyards.com/GroGel-Plus-B-100-Dose-80900CB.htm

I did give my set LIfe Lytes -- it also comes as Chick Lytes-- its a powder sort of like instant Gatorade-- you can get it at your feed store or Tractor Supply.... They seemed to really thrive and I did not lose any out of 15 (so far - they will be 3 weeks old on Tues)-- also I did put tree branches in their brooder box for them to play on/ they love them....

 

[A.T. Hagan]

A brooder at its most basic need supply only four things:

Sufficient warmth
Food
Water
Protection

Now some bedding would be nice to soak up the manure, give the chicks something to scratch in, and improve the footing if the brooder interior is slick. BUT some folks brood on wire and they do just fine. If you aren't brooding on wire I'd use bedding. Pine shavings do the job for me and I brood a couple of hundred each year.

I also put a "practice roost" in my brooders. I like them because they give the chicks something to play on, but more importantly it starts getting them used to the idea of roosting. They likely won't take to it right off, but that's OK. They'll gradually catch on.

Along the lines of food and water I like to put platforms in to keep the feed and water out of the shavings and make it harder for the chicks to scratch shavings into them.

Beyond that I don't put anything else in mine. If I'm brooding shipped chicks I do put a little sugar in their water that first day for the first eight hours or so to give them an immediate calorie intake if they had a rough ride in the mail. If I hatched them I don't bother. I do use two tablespoons of vinegar in their daily water since it keeps the slime buildup to a minimum.

Here's a photo of my typical brooder set-up. I brood a lot of chicks so it's not something I would recommend for anyone not also raising a similar number of birds but it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about above.

 

[sumi]

I hang a nice big feather duster in the brooder. Just off the floor, so the chicks can crawl under it. It's more a feel-save thing for them, than a necessity, but they will love it. Just don't hang in too close to the heat lamp, the feathers absorb the heat and can catch fire if it gets too hot.

 

[aoxa]

A brooder at its most basic need supply only four things: Sufficient warmth Food Water Protection Now some bedding would be nice to soak up the manure, give the chicks something to scratch in, and improve the footing if the brooder interior is slick. BUT some folks brood on wire and they do just fine. If you aren't brooding on wire I'd use bedding. Pine shavings do the job for me and I brood a couple of hundred each year. I also put a "practice roost" in my brooders. I like them because they give the chicks something to play on, but more importantly it starts getting them used to the idea of roosting. They likely won't take to it right off, but that's OK. They'll gradually catch on. Along the lines of food and water I like to put platforms in to keep the feed and water out of the shavings and make it harder for the chicks to scratch shavings into them. Beyond that I don't put anything else in mine. If I'm brooding shipped chicks I do put a little sugar in their water that first day for the first eight hours or so to give them an immediate calorie intake if they had a rough ride in the mail. If I hatched them I don't bother. I do use two tablespoons of vinegar in their daily water since it keeps the slime buildup to a minimum. Here's a photo of my typical brooder set-up. I brood a lot of chicks so it's not something I would recommend for anyone not also raising a similar number of birds but it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about above.

I like your feeder area I wish I could come up with something more practical for my ducks. Oh gosh they smell bad. I have to clean their water area twice a day. I didn't even consider mentioning bedding. Yeah, shavings. Pine only, never cedar.

Chicks appreciate a roost.

I often brought in some big clumps of grass for them to play in.

Set their water on something to keep the bedding out like this.

Here is my brooder. I usually do the first week in a playpen with paper towel. I lost quite a few silkies who ate the bedding :/ - but the standard chicks were better at not being so stupid like that.

First week - Now I just use a heavy duty stick across the playpen with the heat lamp attached. It works great. I can hold around 15 chicks for 1 week in here. The bigger one can hold quite a bit more. I raised around 40 in that until week 4. At week 2 is when they like to start roosting.

 

[RonC]

The roost was the one thing I was going to add but see it's been covered.

The feeder/water can be as high as their backs to keep, let's just say stuff out of their feed and water. Hanging it so it's adjustable is another option besides bricks or wood to elevate it. I think it works better hanging because they are less likely to climb on it.

A common mistake is to try to heat the while brooder. Only heat a small area for them to warm up in. May not need it during the day depending on where you keep them this time of year. Keep their warm area about 95 degrees for the first week dropping it about 5-7 degrees per week. The ECOGlow is an excellent option to a heat lamp and won't cause a fire because it fell in the bedding. Kind of expensive if you don't plan on raising more though. Make sure your lamp is securely mounted and height adjustable.

A lid for your brooder. They will become escape artists by about 2 weeks old if not sooner.

Electrolytes are good but switch them out with plain water every other day. Too much isn't good. A little sugar in their water can give them a boost also. Plain yogurt for probiotics to boost their digestive systems or you can buy them that can be mixed with the water also. Some swear by a mix of a couple of teaspoons of natural unfiltered ACV (apple cider vinegar) in a gallon of water. Do this in a non-metallic waterer only.I used none of these but can see where they could be beneficial to get off to a good start.

Everyone had good ideas just wanted to cover a couple of the basics a little more.