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Post by chickenman1 on Jul 17, 2010 23:07:13 GMT -6
If you don't have the space for a chick brooder and don't like the old method of using cardboard boxes because they have a short life-span and aren't always reliable- I reccommend trying plastic storage tubs- something I've been using and successfully rearing chicks, ducklings, etc for the past several years. You can find them at Wal-Mart and some dollar stores (Dollar General, Fred's etc) and they are relatively cheap and long lasting. I have three large size ones and 1 smaller one. The large ones will comfortably hold about 15 or so big size chicks (a little less for ducklings, poults etc and a little more for banties). I put either wood shavings or newspapers in the bottom and I have the tubs placed on wooden pallets in our storage room up under the house (It's a closed-in room with electricity and not a basement I call it my "hatchery" The heat lamp will clip on to the side and hang down or you can place a board across the top at an angle and slide the heat lamp on it (depends on what kind of lamp you have- I have both). I place the pop-on tops that come with the tubs over the top of the tub at an angle to hold the heat in- leaving a small opening where the lamp is when the birds are really small and as needed on colder nights. The tubs are easy to clean and house the birds well until they are about 4 weeks old- I then put them in cages after they've feathered out good and leave a light over the top of them and place them outside in the sun during the day where they can also eat grass. After about another 3 or 4 weeks, I move them to one of my chicken houses (my "young chicken house" isolated from the adult birds) and keep them cooped up until they are big enough to turn into the chicken yard with the others. My big blue plastic storage tubs "chicken tubs" have been a life-saver for me and have played an important role in helping me successfully rear healthy, happy birds the past several years. They've paid for themselves time and time again and are used on average for about 3-4 different batches a year.
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Post by Timbo on Jul 18, 2010 19:51:41 GMT -6
That gets the job done nicely. I wish i had a basement"hatchery" that would be nice.
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Post by cks4me on Jul 25, 2010 11:23:37 GMT -6
Have you not had any problems with the plastic melting? I had mine in a big tube and it was melting where the light was clipped on.
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Post by chickenman1 on Jul 25, 2010 22:36:29 GMT -6
No, I haven't had any problems (as of yet) with that happening although I did have a cheap made small light one time that had a plastic coating around it and that melted. Depending on conditions (time of year etc) I usually start out with a 75wt bulb and watch closely to be sure they're not too hot I down grade to a 60wt bulb after they're good and settled in usually after about 4-5 days or so. If its later in the year, a 60wt is usually sufficent enough even starting out. If you continue to have that problem put a board across the top at an angle and hang a light down from it- This will put the light a closer to them so check the wattage of the bulb to be sure its not too hot for them. You could also use a drop cord light and cover up the ends with something to hold the heat in.
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Post by phoneutria on Sept 8, 2010 19:15:46 GMT -6
I have a couple of cattle watering tubs that I have found at various places that work great as well. I actually had rather use them than my big fancy brooder. You can find them at many farms because farmers really can't use them once they don't hold water so they just cast them aside.
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Post by gardendaddy on Sept 8, 2010 21:42:27 GMT -6
Talking about storage bin brooders...when I got some late spring chicks this year, I put them upstairs in my house in a spare bedroom I mostly use for storage. I used a plastic storage tote and I put a clip on light mounted underneath an upside down milk crate and supported with some small pieces of lumber to hold the milk crate up on the rim of the crate and I raised off the last part (6-chicks) of my flock of 22 original birds (I have since given away two Silver Laced Wyandotte pullets to my brother & the third gifting will go tomorrow to Millington, TN to a family friend). It worked very well till they were about 4-weeks old and then they got moved into the chicken coop with the other larger, older birds but segregated for another 2-weeks till they were 6-weeks old then introduced to the older, larger flock and then they finally blended and are all one happy family now...some many months later and some are finally laying these past 10-days or so now. So yes, the storage bin totes work nicely. I used cypress shavings in the bottom and it was easy to clean and just wash out and add new shavings as needed. I would remove the chicks to another tote I already had prepared to facilitate the cleaning of the first and rotate the totes as needed. It was no problem with any melting as the air circulation inside the open milk crate allowed enough heat for brooding but did not cause any burning of plastic OR BIRDS! Worked great and I would use it again. But yes, the watering troughs work very well too. Also, I used an older rabbit cage for my original flock and they did very-very well in that. I just added some small size hardware cloth to the bottom and some cheap casters from Harbor Freight and left the bottom open in the chicken house/coop with a heat lamp clamped from the top of the cage and the droppings and messes just fell through the hardware cloth and onto the shavings in the coop and then I just rolled the cage out of the area to clean under the cage, etc. That worked very well indeed. And unless I get a pullet who will be a true HEN next summer to set next year and come up with some fertile eggs...I will use it again. Hopefully I will get one of these girls to get broody and get some eggs from some of the club members to hatch some of my own and then let them worry about it all. But I will certainly raise more when the need arises. I have already discussed this with some of the folks and hopefully one of my Buff Orpingtons, who have a tendency to go broody, will get with the program next summer and hatch some eggs I can get my hands on. Mike...aka...Garden Daddy www.gardendaddy.blogspot.com
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Post by Timbo on Sept 8, 2010 21:49:41 GMT -6
Yawl got some great Ideas
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Post by chowdownsilkiefarm on Oct 10, 2010 0:29:51 GMT -6
This is my storage tub I use. I have it on a table in my nursery (spare room) and there are 2 shelves and they are at the right heights so the light can go in the tub or just outside of it. I use one of those expandable screens that go in windows to put over the top when the light is outside of the tub and it when it's inside of the tub I put the screen over half and cover that with a towel. I cut a large space out of the lid where it is just a ring that I set the screen on and it covers the opening of the lid. I put a square dowel in and used 1 screw on each side to secure it. I have had no problem at all with this method. Here it is By emvickrey at 2010-10-08 I also use 2 20 gallon aquariums and I also use the expandable screens on top. Depending on where I put the aquarium, I may use shelves to clamp the light to or I clamp it to the screen. It has to be clamped so it goes between the screens to hold it secure and it will be inside the aquarium. I pay a pizza pan over the light part and then cover it all with a towel. I leave a corner open for ventilation. By emvickrey at 2010-10-09
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Post by Timbo on Oct 10, 2010 19:45:36 GMT -6
too cool thats a great idea
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