How to Set Up a Brooder
March 26, 2009
4 days old
wing feathers
This is day 3 and our chicks seem very happy. They are active and their fuzzy little wings are already changing to look more like feathers. They are noticeably bigger than they were when we got them (they grow fast!) and they don’t seem scared of us.
Here is how we set up their happy home:
heat lamp view
- install heat lamp above the brooder box
- install a thermometer inside the brooder
- adjust placement of the heat lamp after a couple hours; if it is not 95 degrees put it closer to the chicks; if it is too warm (especially if they are avoiding the light) move it further away
- cover the bottom with an old soft towel (or use pine shavings, coarse-ground corn cobs or peanut hulls, sand, peat moss — if you use any of these, though, chicks might be tempted to eat it rather than eating their food, just something to keep an eye on)
include a chick waterer – with water in it obvs (if you don’t have an official water-er which is really just a trough sort of thing that fits on the bottom of a mason jar use a shallow bowl or lid…but put marbles in it so there is no danger of chicks falling in and drowning)
- chick feed (we have a cute little chick feeder with little round holes fo
r them to snack from. they snack a lot) - we also put a hot water bottle in ours for the chicks to snuggle with and climb on if their toes get cold
- it’s nice to have a box, turned on its side and lined with straw for them to hang out in. they seem to like this
- a small roost for them to practice on, at least half an inch wide
- put a well-fitting screen lid on top
- make sure the brooder is not somewhere drafty
Things NOT to put in a brooder:
- sawdust for litter – chicks might eat it and get the dreaded ‘pasty butt’ condition. seriously. having a pasty butt can be deadly.
clear bulb in the heat lamp – use a red bulb; it is less likely to lead to cannibalism (ugh)- newspaper or any other flat surface to cover the bottom; chicks are clumsy and their little toes need something to grip – a slippery surface can actually deform their legs
- hardwood litter (this can be toxic)
Advertisement
4 Comments
leave one →
I am a bit more relaxed than you, I guess. I didn’t do the thermometer, but just watched them. I think that as long as you know what to look for, you can get by without a thermometer, don’t you? But you do have to watch them to figure out if they are hot or cold or just right.
I do have a clear bulb right now and so far, so good. Next time I think I would spring for the red bulb. They seem fine, though, but I can see how not enough space AND a white bulb would increase the chances of cannibalism.
I did read somewhere that you can use newspaper if it is shredded, but even then I wonder if it would be too slippery. We were using cedar chips and that was working ok, but I did notice they seem to try to eat some of it occasionally, so I switched to corn cob bedding. I just did that today, so we’ll see how it works.
Yeah, I’m not sure what the deal is with the white bulb but you’re right, it’s probably not a huge concern. If anything, it might make them feel as though they work in a cubicle…and after a day at the office under white lights I might have been grumpy but I never wanted to, well, eat somebody. We are just pretty much going by the book and what our neighbors tell us b/c we are totally new to all of this & that means not taking chances on cannibalism
We have a big bag of corn cob bedding for when they get a bit older so I will check back on your blog to see if you post that it goes well. We’ll probably stay with the cozy old towel thing for another week or so…but cleaning the towels is already not fun so it won’t last too much longer.
That is a really nice setup.
We didn’t have a thermometer either. We learned by listening to them chirp….the louder the chirp the more unhappy they were.
The red bulb also doesn’t disturb their sleeping. White light tends to be harsh which makes it harder to sleep.
well, they definitely don’t have any trouble sleeping…just sit down and pass out wherever, whenever