I use a brooder box when I raise chicks.
I found the plans on the internet.
We built it ourselves.
I’ve got a little dowel that we cut out the edges so that it sits on the wood frame.
It just wedges itself in there.
I’ve got three different sizes of dowels so as they grow, I can replace it to match their foot size.
There are 2 trays that sit on the floor so they can be removed for cleaning, they come completely out
I painted them with child water-proof paint so they can be scrubbed between batches of chicks.
Chicks need to be kept around 95 degrees when they first hatch
I don’t use the red light that a lot of the tack stores will sell you
I prefer a heat bulb for a reptile cage because it doesn’t put off any light.
It only puts off heat…it’s a heat bulb. Not an infra red light.
And I decided to use the reptile bulb because the first time that I had babies I used the red light
The first time that they went into the darkness for night after being in their brooder cage
They freaked out because they had never been in complete darkness before
So I no longer use those kinds of lights.
I just use a heat lamp. So that way, they’re used to the nighttime getting dark, but they still stay warm.
Their feed is in a typical small poultry feeder
I just popped some holes in it and put some eye hooks in, so that I could hang it.
And that way I can change the height as they grow,and they don’t kick so much bedding into the feed
The two dusting mops hanging … that’s their mama bird.
They will go and lay underneath that as if it’s mama. That way they feel safe.
And that’s also on string, so that I can raise and lower it whatever height I need.
I built them a little mini jungle gym somewhat similar to the one that I have outside in the run.
That way, they can have something to jump on.
They jump around, chase each other, fly off the top… It’s pretty funny.
As they grow, they’ll get more active on that jungle gym.
For the first couple of weeks, they’re still using a regular waterer.
The water was up on a block, to prevent them from kicking all the bedding in it.
That keeps the water clean so it lasts longer.
The water is yellow because it’s got baby vitamins in it.
I usually give them a gallon worth and when that’s gone switch them over to regular water.
Once they’re about 4 weeks old I switch them to a bottle with a licker on it
The bottle is a rabbit cage bottle, I just toss the metal licker attachment. The water fountain company that I get the large waterers from sells bottle caps designed with the same licker attachment as the big waterers.
And I use the wire holder that comes with the bottle. to hook it on to eye hooks I mounted to hold the bottle up so you don’t have to worry about it falling over.
You only need to get one baby to do it, and then they’ll show the others.
They’re a lot like monkey see monkey do.
This brooder box is what I raise them in until they’re big enough to go out in the grow out pen.
So when are they big enough?
When they get their first set of full feathers.
Once they shed all their baby fluff and they’ve got their first set of full feathers,
That’s when I move them out to the grow out pen because then they’ve got better insulation.
Baby fluff just doesn’t insulate them well enough.
And if it still dips too cold at night, I’ve got another heat lamp out there to help keep them warm in the grow out pen.
After they get their first set of feathers,
They will shed all of their feathers two more times before they have their final set of feathers
Then they’ll get a stronger set of feathers at 7-9 weeks
Again at 12 – 16 weeks
And last at 20-22 weeks when they’ll have their final set of feathers
You’ll see them forage in the bedding, even if there’s nothing to forage for.
They jump around on their little jungle gym.
They step on each other.
They run after each other.
One of them will pick up a piece of straw, and they’ll run around the cage like they’ve got something special, and the others wanna know what it is.
So they’ve got some silly antics.
Everything that they will have out in the grow out pen, I try to start them with in the brooder because the sooner they learn, then the more it becomes normal to them
I hold them a lot to get them used to that because the friendlier I can get them as a baby, the friendlier they’ll be as an adult.
The brooder box is on wheels so I can easily move it outside or inside depending on the temperature outside.
When I don’t need it, I wheel it into the garage, and we put it away.
And then when I need it again, I wheel it back out.
I can wheel it wherever I need to put it.
I like that idea better than a bucket. I know a lot of people use big plastic tubs.
But the tubs don’t give me the ability to move it around without help, especially if they’re already in it.
If you have any questions, then just post them in comments below. And I’ll get them answered for you.
Remember … Be The Organic U – Feed Your Soul
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