Chook Me!

chicken brooders/ incubators?

I have a new small egg incubator, and having read some information I need now a brooder, for keeping the chicks after they are hatch? I have also read about home made ones using an infa red bulb, and a polystyrene box! So; 1- can anyone tell me where to look, how to make, or what size bulb I need, to maintain the temperature required? 2- how long must the chicks stay in the brooder?

Public Comments

1. 1) You are referencing an incubator. 2) This should cover your questions. Chicks the 1st week need heat at their body height at 95 degrees F and after 1 full week reduce to 90, the third week is at 85, the fourth at 80 the fifth at 75 and the sixth at 70 if the room temp is 70 they will not need extra heat but if not room at 70 keep the heat lamp and the temp at 70. A 100 watt red heat bulb is good for the heat source. They need water and a chick starter feed 24/7, I prefer the crumble. I start feeding them pellets at two weeks and add more and more as they eat it. I give less and less starter until it is used up. Feed them some grit from the feed store. I always force feed mine 3-5 grits or small stones the size of a rice grain and put them in separate holding box till all get the grit, then they go back in the brooder. This is to assure me that every chick has grit in the gizzard. I put news paper in a large cardboard box and hang the heat bulb low enough for the proper temp around the height of their head. This is a quick answer so if you need more e-mess me.
2. You need a heat lamp to keep the chicks warm, red heat lamps are best. If you use a white one the first time the chicks experience darkness they will panic - I used to use a white heat lamp and at about 5 weeks old when they no longer needed heat at night they would panic for hours and cheep in fear. I now use red heat lamps. For newly hatched chicks the temperature needs to be 32.2*c (or 90F) and this should be lowered by 5 F every week until they don't need a heat lamp at all. If you are hatching chicks in the winter I wouldn't put them outside without a heat source until they are 12 weeks old, possibly even older. If you are hatching them for the summer, they can start spending the odd hour outside at 4 weeks old providing it is sunny, and can stay out in the daytime from 6 weeks onwards. I still keep mine in at night at that age, I don't let them sleep outside without heat until they're about 7 / 8 weeks old. As for a brooder a lot of things can be used, it doesn't have to be anything complicated! It can be as simple as a cardboard box, or as complex as a wooden tray with a mesh covering. When I hatch out chicks I keep them in a large plastic storage container for the first week or so, depending on how many chicks I have. After that I have a purposefully bought paddling pool that they live in! It's 5 feet across and is perfect for keeping chicks in until they are old enough to go outside, we just surround it with mesh so they can't hop out and wander free! Here's a photo, the heat lamp is suspended above. All the things in there are just for their enjoyment and to keep them active and interested: http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii264/Red_Jellybean/DSCF2144-1.jpg You'll need to put a substrate in the brooder. Simple wood shavings / sawdust will do, dust extracted ones are best. For the first few days cover the shavings with kitchen towels until the chicks learn what their food looks like, otherwise they could eat the shavings and get impacted. Hope this helps :)