BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[hungry hunter]

I built a brooder a while back using the biggest plastic tote I could find at Walmart.

Then chicken math happened and we ended up with 8 chicks.

For the first few days there was plenty of room, but now it seems a little crowded. I found a picture where someone had connect 2 totes and thought I would give it a try.

I just made a 8" square out of 1x6s and cut out a square on the side of each tote. I think it turned out ok.

It took the chicks a while onto figure out that they could go back and forth,bit they seem to enjoy it now.

 

[aart]

For the first few days there was plenty of room, but now it seems a little crowded. I found a picture where someone had connect 2 totes and thought I would give it a try.

I just made a 8" square out of 1x6s and cut out a square on the side of each tote. I think it turned out ok.

It took the chicks a while onto figure out that they could go back and forth,bit they seem to enjoy it now.

Nice work!!
You know you don't need to use a heat bulb, you can use a regular 60-100W incandescent and place lamp shade right on HC instead of that riser.
A dimmer extension cord works well to adjust heat output....you can even get red incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply place.

 

[hungry hunter]

Quote:Nice work!!
You know you don't need to use a heat bulb, you can use a regular 60-100W incandescent and place lamp shade right on HC instead of that riser.
A dimmer extension cord works well to adjust heat output....you can even get red incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply place.

Thanks aart. I think I'll try just a regular bulb. I need some sort of a riser right now because the heat shield thingy is short and the bulb sticks out past it. It has been pretty warm here so we haven't even been turning the lamp on unless they start acting cold.

 

[ozark hen]

I have found reg incandescence light bulbs are better for totes. Of course now they are doing away with them

 

[MESOFRUFFEH]

I have found reg incandescence light bulbs are better for totes. Of course now they are doing away with them

I did not know this until the last time I went to buy a 100w bulb for heat.... so disappointing!

I have some smaller lamps that are more for reptiles than chicks and the huge brooder bulbs don't fit in them. Reptile bulbs are too much, so I had to break down and buy new lamps!

Sometimes you don't need to heat the whole dang neighborhood, just a small box. Brooder bulbs are too big for a small box.

 

[ozark hen]

I know right? Where we keep the chicks/chickens isn't wired for heat lamps. We'd burn the entire building down. We did stock up on 60 wt bulbs but they won't last long. I really didn't want all that smell in the house but I have around 50 chicks in the house now due to this crazy weather. There was frost everywhere this morning & now they are talking near 70' tomorrow but then temp drops again. So I will gladly put up with smell to keep them safe.

 

[csaylorchickens]

I have three stages of brooder before they go into the big coop. I hAve a very small plastic container that fits into the bathtub. I keep them in their for the first week or so. Then they move into the galvanized cage in the garage that's twice the size. They stay there till 5 or 6 weeks old. Then I have a mini coop that is good for up to 4 to 6 small birds or chicks. They stay there till it's time to move into the big coop at 16 weeks old. I find that to be good and tradition them. I let the main girls run free range and have the Chinks take turns free ranging then they eventually free range to gather and then coop together! It worked well once so we will see how this batch goes. I'll ha e to get pics of all three

 

[jk47]

My new brooder

 

[mekidsmom]

Let's see... I started with a box that happened to be laying around, moved to a tote so I wouldn't have to worry about having a soggy bottom, then finally built this. I forgot how FAST they grow! I'll use the tote for SOMETHING, but man was that wasted time and energy! LOL! I THOUGHT shredded paper would work well too... alas.... it gets and then stays damp far to easily. I was changing it DAILY. Shavings won.

So, I meant to make this 18" high, and then 36x36" - since the hardware cloth came that size, but apparently my brain was elsewhere when I started cutting and measuring the 2x2's ... so it's 30X30" and 18" high. That meant more cutting of hardware cloth than I wanted to bother with. However, it's working fine! My husband snagged some steel screen from work - that is some STURDY STUFF! So, on the left there's a piece of that just sitting on top, and the piece in the side is a "door" made from it. Zip ties are my "hinges". There's zip ties on the left in the screen as well as around the corner in the hardware cloth. Then I just used the wire that held the hardware cloth in it's roll like twist ties between the zip ties to hold the door shut. The bottom is all hardware cloth as well (though I use disposable waterproof pads on the hardware cloth and the shavings over it). I wanted this to be able to be used like a tractor to take them outside! Not sure when it's going to warm up, but I'm ready! So, grabbed some leftover aluminum flashing to make a "base" to set the brooder in to keep messes to a minimum, stuff some cardboard in there as well so nothing gets kicked out. My base isn't fancy, and will be tossed eventually, but it's better than nothing to ensure my floor isn't a mess. Of course, this means that I have to bend the aluminum up and down to get the door open, but it works. We can change the food and water out from the top, and open the door when it's time to play. It's probably best this way anyhow, because my little one would be opening the door and letting the chicks free range in my laundry room if she could get it open herself! ha ha! So yeah, less than $20 for a brooder/chick tractor/location to sequester one adult chicken if need be down the road. Easy enough even a mom can do it! I did switch to a horizontal nipple for water as well. OMG - so nice, no messy poopy water any more! (hint if you use aluminum flashing, duct tape over the sharp edges so you don't cut yourself).

 

[csaylorchickens]

First brooder

Second and third brooder. I use the galvanized cage also for a broody breaker or a place for a hen to go calm down if she isn't starting trouble. I have one in particular who gets timeouts lol. The mini coop is right before they go into the big coop