Southern Backyard Chickens: Brooder Information

I thought I would share what my chick's brooder looks like. I know that this was one of the things that I learned, as I began to research the proper ownership of chickens. There is no set rule on a chick brooder. They need a certain amount of space, depending upon how many chicks you have; they need a heat source, as they can get cold very easily while they are young; and they need fresh water and appropriate chick food for growth. How you provide these basic necessities can be very flexible.

I bought a long, clear, plastic storage container

to use as our brooder. As you can see, it is a 105 Quart size.

Here is a picture of the brooder in full glory.

In my Dining Room, by the way. Next to the Spode China and Waterford Crystal. Only the best for my chicks!

When I knew that I was going to go ahead with my chicken plans, I also wanted to accomplish this as economically as possible. Afterall, keeping chickens IS supposed to be an economical endeavor as a step towards sustainable, green living. Having said that.... have you SEEN the cost of some chicken coops??? Just amazing. But having seen that, it only made me more determined to do this chicken raising as inexpensively as possible.

My plastic brooder came from Target, on sale for about $10.00. I also chose this particular type of container because it is a latch container. You can see how I worked that into the functionality of the brooder.

I bought the heat lamp at a Flea Market here in Tallahassee for $6.

Here is a close-up.

Notice that it has a clamp that is used to attach itself in various positions. We also used it to help keep the brooder secure. Besides our Collie Rhett who you have already met, we also have a Tabby cat named Sunshine. Don't be fooled by his name. He's an indoor/outdoor cat with a penchant for killing small birds and leaving them on the front step as an offering. As threatening as dog's can be as predators towards chickens, in this chick stage, Sunshine is a much greater threat in our house. Long live the clamp!

When you look for a heat bulb to use in your heat lamp, you have a choice between red and white. The feed stores use red. When I asked them the difference, I was told that there really wasn't a difference, but usually when the chicks are in large quantities (like at hatcheries or feed stores) they choose red as that supposedly keeps the chicks more calm. I have also read that a white light makes the chicks pick the feathers off of their friends. On a special Martha Stewart episode on chickens, it was said that the red light helps to distract the chicks if one of them starts to bleed from an injury. Instead of attacking the injured bird, they supposedly won't be able to see the blood with the red light.

I also heard that if the chicks had enough space, without being too far from their food and water source, that the white light would be fine. As I am someone who likes to think positive, I decided my chicks were going to be friendly and not attack each other. I went for the white heat bulb. I am happy to report that everyone gets along fine.

Here's a pic.

I haven't mentioned the chick feeder or waterer. They are pretty obvious in action, and very inexpensive to purchase.

About $3-$4 a piece. In this pic, Belle is at the waterer, Scarlett is in the foreground. I bought special medicated chick feed at the feed store, and I sprinkle grit in each of the circular openings in the feeder.

For those of you who might be afraid that chickens smell, so far they do not. We put newspaper down in the bottom of the brooder and then pine shavings on top of that. The pine shavings (or similar) are important, as it gives the chicks something to grip with their feet. Having a smooth, slippery surface causes chicks to get splayed leg or a hip injury, which are not fixable.

Here is a pic looking straight down into the brooder through the chicken wire. Scarlett is reddish, Belle in yellow and Aunt Pitty Pat is the brown one.

You can see the basic chicken wire over the top of the container. I measured, and had it cut to size at Ace Hardware (so I wouldn't have to pinch myself with the wires :-) The roll of chicken wire cost $13, and I have alot left over. It may, or may not be used for the future chicken abode. I will let you know when we get to that step. We also bought the two extra clamps for about $2 each at Ace Hardware. Again, keeping it Kitty proof.

I thought I would share a couple of cute pictures. Here is a quiz: What do you do with three chicks when you have to clean out their brooder?

Answer: put them in a white fedora of course!