BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[19Dawn76]

Quote:
How do you clean the litter?

 

[19Dawn76]

I'm also wondering if you have to have litter. I tried having chicks in a box before and I hated having to clean the box everyday. We bought some supplies to start building a brooder this weekend but I had in mind to use hardware cloth for the floor and a removeable board of some sort to catch the droppings. Then all I would have to do is wipe the board off and the chicks wouldn't have to walk in their droppings.

 

[Chicken Woman]

Sometimes chicks on wire or newsprint get spradle leg or other issues with feet and toes.

 

[SimplyForties]

I'm using puppy pads over litter. I don't know why you couldn't use just puppy pads.

 

[Chicken Woman]

Quote:
I have used puppy pads when they were first born. Seemed like when they were about a month old they wanted to scratch and tore them up pretty good.

 

[SimplyForties]

Since the OP is from Arkansas and it's summertime I'd think they'd be about ready to come out of the brooder by 4 wks. Additionally, isn't spraddle leg only a problem initially? If they had to stay in the brooder longer, by the time they were tearing up the puppy pads, I'd think they'd be fine on wire.

 

[19Dawn76]

Can you believe I have another question? Someone told me that you had to put chicks in a pen as close to the ground as possible before putting them ON the ground so their immune systems could be built up. Is this true? If so we have some more building to contemplate. I was really hoping that the chicks could just spend a few weeks in the brooder then go directly in the pen since its almost summer and pretty warm outside already.

 

[FarmerMack]

Quote:
I never read that anywhere. Mine went from brooder in the house to the coop. I didnt have any illnesses but i did loose 3 over the winter to global warming

in New Hampshire

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Farmer Mack

 

[SunnyChic]

I made my brooder from some materials I found in a dumpster and some plastic fencing and an 8x12 piece of linoleum from Lowe's:

 

[hungryhensfarm]

Now that's one brooder that's bad to bone! I love it!