Homemade Brooders

A chick needs warmth and protection.

Pet chickens provide an additional benefit -- fresh eggs for your breakfast. Raising chickens from day-old chicks can be educational for the entire family. Chicks are completely helpless when they hatch. Without feathers, they are unable to maintain their body temperature. They also need to be protected from predators. Mother hens are best for this job, but chicks purchased from a hatchery will not have a hen to help them. A homemade brooder provides a safe environment for the chicks until they are old enough to be moved to a permanent coop.

Things You'll Need

• Large plastic tote
• Pen
• Sharp knife or jig saw
• Drill with small and large bits
• Hardware cloth
• Tin snips
• Small bolts, nuts and fender washers
• Heat lamp with incandescent bulb (60 or 75 watt)
• Thermometer
• Paper towels or disposable puppy pads
• Block of wood or bricks
• Chick feeder and waterer
• Pebbles

Instructions

Prepare the Brooder Top

1. Mark the dimensions of a rectangular opening in the tote lid. Make a dot in each corner with a pen and draw a line connecting the dots.

2. Fit a large drill bit into the drill and create a pilot hole in each of the four corners of the rectangle.

3. Cut out the opening with the sharp knife. Discard the removed plastic rectangle.

4. Fit the drill with a drill bit slightly larger than your bolts and make a hole in each corner of the lid 1/2 inch from the edge of the opening.

5. Cut out a rectangular piece of hardware cloth with tin snips. Make the piece large enough to overlap the edges of opening in the tote lid by at least 1/2 inch on each side.

6. Feed one of the fender washers onto the bolt and insert it in one corner of the hardware cloth. Feed the bolt through one of the holes in the lid, insert a second fender washer on the bolt and screw on the nut.

7. Screw on the other three corners in the same way. The tote lid will now have a large wire-covered opening in the center.

Prepare the Brooder Box for Chicks

1. Line the bottom of the tote with paper towels or puppy pads.

2. Fill the waterer and place pebbles in the tray to keep chicks from falling in and drowning.

3. Add chick starter to the feeder.

4. Place a brick or a sturdy block of wood in one corner of the brooder box. Place the feeder and waterer on top. The feeder and waterer should be at the level of the chicks' backs.

5. Place an inexpensive plastic outdoor thermometer in one corner of the brooder.

6. Place the tote lid on the brooder box.

7. Set the lamp on top of the brooder, making sure it sits completely on the hardware cloth, not on the plastic tote lid.

8. Plug in the lamp and turn it on.

9. Check the temperature after a few minutes. It should read 95 degrees.

Add Chicks

1. Dip each chick's beak in the water as you place it into the brooder box.

2. Secure the lid on the brooder box once all chicks have been placed inside.

3. Place the brooder in a location away from drafts where it is in no danger of being knocked over.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow an area of at least 1.5 square feet of floor space per chick. The box should also be deep enough to avoid drafts.

• Sprinkle a small amount of feed on the floor of the brooder box for the first few days.

• Make sure the waterer will not tip over. Chicks can become very ill if they get wet and chilled.

• Check the temperature in the brooder often to avoid overheating or chilling the chicks. Cold chicks will huddle together and cheep constantly. If chicks are overheated, they will move away from each other, spread their wings from their bodies and pant.

• Avoid using newspaper as bedding. Its slick surface can cause the chicks to develop leg problems.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Poultry Management Specifications
• Ohio State University Incubation and Embryonic Development: Bulletin 633 - After the Chicks Hatch
• University of Illinois Extension: Incubation and Embryology Questions and Answers
• "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens"; Gail Damerow; 1995

Resources

• Norton Creek Press: Success with Baby Chicks