Where is the best place to keep a brooder?

[CoolClucker]

Hi there! I'm going to get day old chicks in a few weeks, and am not sure where to keep the brooder. I will be getting about 6 to 10 to start. I was thinking of keeping them in the house. I was originally thinking the bedroom but the constant peeping would probably keep me awake. So then I thought the living room. But I heard dust was an issue? I thought the house would be a good idea because I spend a lot of time in there and they'd be close at hand so I could work on them gettng used to me and bonding with me. Are they really that smelly and dirty? Should I just put them in the garage? I don't have a coop built yet, working on that first then ordering the chicks. But I'm talking until they are the right age to go in the coop. Thanks!

 

[Sunnysimplelife]

I keep mine in a large plastic bin in my bathroom. I put it in the tub with a towel underneath and then close the glass shower doors so our kitties won't get a crack at them. They see us coming and going and easy to clean up the waterer right there. You have to swipe it out lots as they get shavings all in it. I keep a small trash can with a plastic bag to do that in and just dump once a day. Worked great last year and I am doing it again for new chicks right now.

 

[Toshi]

God questions, yes, they smell and they cause a lot of dust. I used to brood in a empty room in my house...It was dusty the air was heavy and when they moved out into the barn i didn't miss it a t all. I missed them though, and went out there all the time. Now i brood in the garage. So far so great. They are just fine out there, but i have a heated garage. Anyways garage is the best bet i think. They are cheepy they kick up shavings and dust. They are messy little birds, but gotta love them.

 

[aggiemae]

Chicks are noisy and make lots of dust and their poops are pretty stinky the first few weeks A garage, utility room is the bast place for them. IMO it's really important to handle them and spend time with them so we take outs out and hang out with them a few times a day. I use a big cage lined with paper towels to tote them around (and also to hole then while I clean up the brooder). Two at a time at first since they get cold but now at 5 weeks they can be out for quite a while before they start huddling and cheeping. This afternoon it was actually warm enough to take them out into the yard and let them run around in the portable run for an hour.

As for the coop building....We got our first batch of chicks before we had a coop intending to have it finished in 8-10 weeks. Then iit rained non stop until the middle of June. Though they were out all day in the portable run, our "chicks" started laying while they where still sleeping the the brooder. My advice....if you plan on building a coop do it before you get your chicks.

 

[TravisE]

mine are in my closet.with the door open. mine sleep well at night. they dont keep me up. they are very quite. but they stink!!!

. that why in a week they are going to a big brooder with 2 heat lamps, with alot of space for them to get away from the heat. if they want. in my garage. they will be two weeks old. im just giving them a start before going to the garage.
hope this helps

 

[macdoogle2]

I used a 40 gallon aquarium once and that worked out very well. It was in the family room and the chicks got a lot of attention, Kept most of the shavings and some of the dust contained and I could see what the chicks were doing. I move my chicks to the back porch within 2 weeks in a sheltered corner with a heating lamp on. I move them outside once they are feathered. I live in SoCal which means warm days but chilly nights. All my chicks are outside by 4 weeks without heat. Works for me but if it's winter in Minnesota you may have to have a different plan.

 

[xxxgeorgiexxx]

i have to keep the brooder in my bedroom which i do have to clean them out once every other day, i have tried the bathroom but the chicks keep everyone up.

 

[CoolClucker]

What about a lid with mesh or hardware cloth? Would that help keep the mess down? And heat lamps, those have to be on 24 hrs a day, any risk of fire with those?

 

[Toshi]

Either will work for the top, mess...there will be a mess, what you can do is clean it up here and there. Yes a heat lamp has to be on at all times. If you keep it up and away from anything it could catch on fire then you will be just fine. What are you brooding in?

 

[wildflowerrun]

For the brooder lamp I would say just to be sure you get one with the "cage" around it. There's still a risk, but at least there's a bit of a barrier.

We are currently keeping ours in our partly finished basement. The first week wasn't too bad. The second week.... Well, let's just say that two or three days after changing the bedding, there was a hint of chicken stench when you walk into the house. By the time Friday night rolls around (time to change the bedding!) you can smell the chicks when you walk in the house. The smell is definitely stronger as you go down the stairs, though.

Make sure you have access to a utility sink or a hose to clean their waterers and things. (No way is that stuff going anywhere near my kinda clean bathroom or kitchen!) But maybe that's just me.

I also want to say that at first I didn't believe they were making too much dust (again, this is a partly finished basement--the walls are painted, but they need to be repainted and we use the basement to cut wood for projects a lot, so there was sawdust everywhere). After two weeks it was QUITE clear that they make a LOT of dust, and I wish we had put a tarp over all of our yardsale stuff.

I can now see marks in the floor dust from where we walk around And I sweeped it last Saturday!!