BROODER thread! Post pics of your brooders!

[sloallie10]

Quote:
Do NOT use cedar shavings!!
Its TOXIC

to chicks.

 

[Gincoza]

thanks for the warning, not sure what is best to use,will use newspaper unless I hear something better,,

 

[FrChuckW]

You can get the pine shavings at WalMart, or any other store that has a pet section that includes small animal food and supplies.

I would suggest you get the biggest bag they carry(common called a bale) and place it inside a 30 gallon trash can for safe keeping.
It will also help to prevent the shavings from accidentally spilling and making a mess.

If you have the room outside for a compost bin, take the used shavings and put them in that. Come next spring you will have some really great soil for your garden.

If you use newspaper, don't use the slick ads as they will only absorb so much liquid and the ink will run and get all over the chicks.

Remember to put some marbles or stones in the basin part of your waterer to prevent the chicks from climbing in it and drowning. Also when you get your chicks home, take them out one at a time and dip their beak into the waterer. This will help them to learn to drink.

 

[Winsor Woods]

I've been using the pine wood pellet bedding. They look just like the pellets for the wood stoves but the bag says bedding. I don't know if there is any difference but I get them at my local ranch supply store. They are super absorbent. The pellets are hard until they get wet and then expand. The pellets dry out quickly too and when they do, they are easy to pick out or if you leave them, they disintegrate into saw dust and fall under the other unsoiled pellets. Cleaning is pretty easy and I've had no noxious odors yet from my 4'x4' brooder with 9 chicks.

Dan

 

[Gincoza]

thanks so much for the info,,I really want my birds happy and safe,,going to build a 8 by 10 run tomorrow, then start working on the coops,,taking 12 rirs home tonight that are about 9 weeks old, then will have the 25 leghorns on the 15th,,so I gotta get my butt busy!,,take everyone and thanks again

 

[lorrir]

Quote:
Wow, I'm impressed!

 

[Gincoza]

I was going to use a swimming pool like you have to start with but was given a nice plywood coop 2 by 2 by 6,,all I have to do is paint it, it was used under cover and is not pressure treated wood,,but I have kids that take care of my light work, lol

 

[OpheliaChick]

Here is mine...

It is a sheet of luan plywood cut in half. We then screwed the ends of the luan together with a couple of 2x4s. A tarp was placed underneath the brooder so that the front porch didn't get covered in chick poo.

As you can see the chicks are no longer in the brooder... they just graduated to the coop last weekend!

 

[Opa]

Here's the brooder I made

It has a pullout droppings tray

I used a wafer thermostat to control the temperature

It has a removeable partition, feeder and waterer cups

 

[Gincoza]

got my 12 rir home late night before last, got them in the small coop and settled in,,they seemed happy enough till yesterday when it got so hot,,I moved the coop to a shaded area and turned my hsop fan on them to give them a breeze,,they seemed more active after that,,worked on the oen yesterday,,got the walls done just have to put hinges on the door and decide what kind of roof I am going to use,,thinking tin right now,,then I will build a larger coop,,nesting boxes,,lol,,of course in the middle of all that I have 25 day old leghorns coming in ,,sheesh,,