What's needed as a brooder?

[MissTurkey4]

I like to use a quail waterer for the first week. I find it much easier than cleaning marbles. No wet poults.

 

[Dogfish]

This is my brooder. It is 4x4 with 12" sides. One sheet of 4x10 OSB, three 2"x2"x8' boards, some screws, and you are done. About $20. If you do small batched, you can raise different age classes in the same space. I have two of these.

 

[Jocasta]

Thanks. My incubator arrived this morning and I'm getting pretty excited. I found a stand alone "brooder" that's the same brand as my incubator - does anyone have any experience with something similar? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/new-Brinsea-E...lies_Poultry&hash=item588d1f6038#ht_845wt_821

 

[Dogfish]

For a few poults, you might be okay with that one, if the brooder is indoors. That brooder is only 14 watts, so it may not provise enough heat. A simple light bulb will put off more heat than that, albeit less directed.

 

[Jocasta]

Thank you! I'm thinking about investing in a heat lamp. I'm hoping to sell any excess poults (don't want to get my hopes up though as this is my first time hatching - don't count your chickens (or turkeys in this case) and all that...) to cover any expenditure. I'm trying to work out whether or not to sell the incubator when I'm done with it (they go for about £10 less than I paid for it used so not much of a loss at all) or keep it for further projects - it'd have to be a birthday present for me to do that - we're broke! We have a spare bedroom so I'm hoping to keep any poults indoors until absolutely necessary tbh. I certainly want the weather to be much warmer before I set them outdoors anyway - I'm hoping to get to around the 12 week mark but tbh, I'm not sure how much noise/smell they'll make so I'm trying not to get too ahead of myself - I guess I'll play it by ear.

I set my eggs last night and am very excited

 

[jimmythechicken]

here is what we use we also have the huge storage bins at walmart like 10 bucks