Brooder cleaning frequency?

[AmeliaBedelia]

How often do you clean your brooder? I realize it will vary by setup, size, number of chicks, etc.

I will have 10 day-olds in a 10 square foot brooder (until I sell about half at a week or two old.) Is switching out the paper towels and cleaning out the food and water containers once per day sufficient? Or do I need to count on doing it more regularly with that many chicks?

And after a few days when we switch to wood chips, do you just sprinkle new ones on top every…day? Couple days? When stinky?

 

[Brooks_]

You'll probably find yourself doing food and water 2-3x daily. I use bedding and just add on top. Cleaned at the end.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I use potty pads at least the first week to keep a close eye on the poop ... Change at least every other day. Then the 2nd week I sprinkle some shavings to one side of the brooder, opposite of the water/food or they get full of shavings. Some use the horse pellets, everyone has their own system. You're gonna find how messy chicks can be ...

 

[rosemarythyme]

As you noted, it varies wildly based on set up, space, number of chicks, type of bedding, etc.

My old set up was a bathtub in a side bathroom, with paper towels and wood shavings. I found it necessary to clean it out every 3 days or so when the chicks were very young, and by the 5 week mark I was cleaning it out daily.

My current brooding set up requires no actual cleaning. I brood out in the run directly on the deep litter, so "cleaning" is simply dragging the brooder to a new location at the 2 week mark. The adult birds will clean up the old spot for me.

 

[SourRoses]

The only wrong way to do it is to leave them living in their poo.
I have a "lay-down" rule. When chicks collapse for their naps, are they able to rest their heads without poop for a pillow?
Now, they do poo everywhere, often, and sleep wherever, so you can't completely keep them from it... but I like to see that most can rest their heads on clean bedding most of the time.
That also keeps them safer from fungi which cause "brooder pneumonia" and thrive in the moisture from their poo.
To achieve this, my method is to add more shavings on top.
When it gets too full or messy or smelly, I pull all the shavings and start fresh.
I like using paper towel on top of packed shavings for the first two days. After which they are pooping too fast, and shavings give them a cleaner bed by turning over and being kicked around.
But there are a lot of ways to accomplish the same goal.

As they age, they need more maintenance. 2x day is my minimum for food and water change. Because they get shavings in the water (no matter how high) and poop in the feed from kicking.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

I have placed their waterer on top of 2 bricks to help me with shaving infiltration. Lessens the mess though some shavings still get in their water.

 

[MrsNorthie]

How often do you clean your brooder? I realize it will vary by setup, size, number of chicks, etc.

I will have 10 day-olds in a 10 square foot brooder (until I sell about half at a week or two old.) Is switching out the paper towels and cleaning out the food and water containers once per day sufficient? Or do I need to count on doing it more regularly with that many chicks?

And after a few days when we switch to wood chips, do you just sprinkle new ones on top every…day? Couple days? When stinky?

Chicks are messy little things, I clean the food and water 2-5 times a day, but the brooder is in my office, so I see it and my little fluff balls all day. I am using a 6ft livestock trough with wire over the top, and have pine shavings for bedding. I clean the shavings out and wipe the surface with a damp rag to keep the dust down, daily. With the last group, I did a deep clean when they went out to the coop but with this group, I am moving them to a kennel and taking them down to the run on weekends so they can start to get used to their sisters. So I will do a deep clean every week, while they are in the kennel, but again, they are in my office, and I am trying to keep the dust levels down.

 

[MrsNorthie]

As they age, they need more maintenance. 2x day is my minimum for food and water change. Because they get shavings in the water (no matter how high) and poop in the feed from kicking.

LOL Yes they do! I find I am picking shaving and cleaning poop out of their food and water 5 to 6 times a day! No matter what I try. At 2wks, they were taking turns sitting on top of the waterer and pooping in the water.. Good thing that they are so adorable. LOL

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Taking turns pooping in the water! <<---LOL

 

[MrsNorthie]

Taking turns pooping in the water! <<---LOL

Yes...LOL Our first group seemed so mellow, peaceful even... the 4 wk old group is wild. In the last week that have decided that they like to stand in their food and scratch, kicking their mash EVERYWHERE... It is actually quite amusing, but it means that I am cleaning, and filling the food constantly.. LOL