Where to put brooder?

[Catalina]

First time they were in a spare bedroom - second time they started out in the dining room and now they are in a spare bedroom.

Right now I don't care about the dust, because my house is under construction.
How can I tell chick dust from sheetrock dust?

It was fun to have them in the dining room, because I could check on them all the time. They are super distracting!

 

[Crickett]

Mine are in my bedroom. Right it's the only place I can put them, at least until their coop is done. Plus I have a cat, and he runs around in the rest of the house. Why tempt him? My dog stays in our room too, but hasn't bother the chicks at all.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Quote:

Glad I could help further enable.

Seriously, the dining room was the most logical choice at my house. I don't really use it as a dining room except for maybe twice a year. It is the cross through from living room to kitchen so I am in there all the time. It is really temperature stable and it has a double window so the chicks can get used to dawn to dusk light (they have a red heat lamp). I figure with the dogs in the house we just can't get that much dirtier. It gets plenty dusty, but other than that it's easier on me to have them in there.

As for the cats...

They actually really like the brooder. Routinely they are camped out on top of the heat lamp. Toasty kitties! The sides and top are covered with hardware cloth so inquisitive little paws can't reach inside. The chicks just watch them and then go on about their chickie business.

 

[the_great_snag]

I have mine in the living room in a rubbermaid tub right now, but I only have 4 one week old chicks. I'm planning to put them out in the entry way in a few days when the temps moderate, and at 4 weeks they are going in a coop outside.

Keep them clean and dry and it's not too bad when they are still fuzzy butts.

Given a choice I would take a smooth concrete floor in a building where dust is not a problem. Put up a draft shield, plenty of bedding, and 2 heat lamps properly placed to keep them warm and you'd be good to go.

And yeah, keep them away from cats and dogs. They give new meaning to the term "chicky snack"... lol

 

[Terri]

my brooder is the downstairs bathtub, but the chicks are practicing flying as we type. Already found one perching on side of tub. They will be 3 weeks Wed.

 

[Cyberous]

Mine are in the guest bathroom shower.
Makes cleaning up real easy!
Moving out side soon, maybe tomorrow.

Don

 

[ScrmnWoody]

I placed mine in the garage. I had considered putting it in one of the spare bedrooms. When I saw the amount of dust created from the chicks, I was really glad I decided to go with the garage. As it is, I still have a ton of "dust" to clean off and wipe down. It literally got in and on everything.

The garage was plenty warm enough to support the chicks. I don't have a heated garage and we had temperatures in the low 30's outside. I used two red lamps to keep the inside of the brooder warm. It wasn't a problem.

 

[schmije]

Our brooder is in the spare bathroom.

Pros:
- It's easy to quickly look in on them or 'keep an ear out' for anything unusual.
- It's easy to get them out to play, because you can close the bathroom door and still have them confined.
- Easy to control temperature, and little variation in temperature.
- Bathroom vent fan helps control the smell. Ours runs 24-7.
- There's a sink right by the brooder.
- MOST of the mess is confined to one room. When they move out, I scrub the bathroom from top to bottom.
- All surfaces and floor are easy to clean.

Cons:
- The whole room is covered in dust, and there are wood shavings all over the floor which get tracked throughout the house.
- The older they get the more they smell.
- Access to the spare bathroom is limited - the brooder blocks the tub and toilet.
- They can occasionally be noisy (especially at night), but for us it' hasn't been a problem.

 

[StrawberryHouseMouse]

Mine brooder is acctually a whole room built onto my back porch against the side of my house. One of my kitchen windows serves as my constant and simple view into the room at any time I wish. Its sort of like looking through those windows at the hospital to see babies in the hosptial's nursary.

 

[xadika]

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