Brooder Essentials Guide

Brooder Essentials Guide

Written by: QC Supply Staff

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Time to read 5 min

Written by Farmer Jeff Siewicki with Regenerative Success


This guide will give you an overview of the critical elements of the brooder. The brooder is essentially a warm safe place to raise young hatchlings until they can tolerate cooler temperatures outdoors. Hatchlings do not have the adult feathers and insulation necessary to handle temperatures below 90° F until 2-3 weeks of age. Be sure to watch the video here and then read the rest of the guide on how to set up your brooder.


The video takes you on an inside look at the Southern HoopHouse and talks about the essential elements of the brooder. The brooder is an area to keep hatchlings from the time of hatching to 2 to 3 weeks of age when they can tolerate cooler and wetter weather. It also talks about what you need in your brooder and shows how the brooder was set up on Jeff's (blog author) farm. He has an elevated brooder system, but this is not necessary, and in retrospect, probably more effort than it was worth.


For his very first brooder, Jeff started with just a small plastic cattle trough with a heat lamp and it served its purpose just fine. Since then he has built 4 different brooders, growing in size and improving the design each time.


Key Elements of a Brooder


Security


The brooder must be secure from predators including rats, pets, snakes, hawks, raccoons, foxes, etc. Many people use an old shed or greenhouse for their brooder. Another alternative is to build a covered structure out of dimensional lumber & hardware cloth. Any secure structure will suffice. The important thing to keep in mind is to make sure to keep drafts & rats out.


Rats can fit through holes 3/4" wide & will eat baby chicks. Use 1/2" hardware cloth for your brooder if you want to keep the rats & snakes out. Do Not use Poultry Netting, the holes are too large to keep out all predators. The Southern HoopHouse Plans pictured below are what was followed to build a 1,000 sq ft brooder for less than $1,000. This enables Jeff to brood up to 2,000 birds simultaneously. For space requirements, you will need to calculate 0.3 square feet per bird for chicks & 0.5 square feet per bird for waterfowl.



Climate Control


The brooder must be free from cool drafts & rain. Young birds are very vulnerable to cooler temps & must have an area that is 98° F for the first few days until they can slowly be acclimated to cooler temperatures. It is recommended to reduce the temperature by 1-degree every day starting on day 4 until the birds are 2.5-3 weeks old. At 3 weeks of age, young birds have developed enough insulation to handle colder temps and wet weather. For heat, you can use gas-powered heaters or electric lamps like the Quality Heat Lamp with Grounded Cord.


250-watt bulbs work well to distribute heat for 50 chicks per lamp. Place these lamps approximately 15" above the ground underneath a covered piece of plywood or solid insulation so the birds can move under or out from the lamp as needed & regulate their own temperature. If you build an elevated box around the lamp with an open entry point, you will capture the heat more efficiently than trying to heat the entire room.


After adding the lamps, observe your chick's behavior. What you want to aim for is a mixture of birds that are eating, drinking, playing & sleeping. Some birds resting under the heat lamp & some are not. If it looks like the birds have normal behavior & are scattered about the space, then your temperature is right. You will know if the birds are too cold because they will be piled on top of each other under the lamp. If this happens, add more lamps or improve insulation and drafts. If birds are too hot, they will be hiding away from the heat source.


To counter this either increase the height of the lamps or add a fan to increase airflow. For improved temperature control you can add a thermostat and plug your bulbs directly into it to precisely and easily control the temperature. The Portable Heating Thermostat with Piggyback Plug works great for this application.


Water


For watering your young chicks, the Kuhl Non-Drowning Waterer is a great option. If you are raising a large number of birds, waterers made specifically for chicks that automatically refill will save you a lot of time. Jeff's favorite waterers for the brooder are the Biddie Drinkers. These small chick waterers can be connected together in series using 1/4" black rubber tubing.


On Jeff's farm, they daisy-chain the waterers together and gravity-fill them from a 5-gallon bucket. Each day he swishes out the waterer and it refills automatically with the inner float valve. Jeff also adds some apple cider vinegar to the water the first day, and once a week thereafter to build up the little chick's immune system and help fight any pathogens.


Caution: Chicks can catch hypothermia & die very quickly in the water when they are just a few days old. To avoid this, raise the lip of the waterer up to the top of their back so they cannot climb in. Another option is to place marbles in the watering dish so the chicks can climb back out easily if they fall in.


Feed


You will need a high protein feed in crumble form for chicks to thrive. A 23-25% protein non-medicated chick feed is recommended for the first 2-3 weeks. Jeff uses Little Giant Galvanized Feeders that are refillable & hold 30 lbs of feed each; one feeder for every 50 birds. In order to save money on feed costs, you can buy feed in bulk directly from a local feed mill. The truck drives to the farm and augers the feed into my Bulk Feed Bin built for less than $100.


If you want to learn how to build a bulk feed bin that holds 1,500 lbs of feed for less than $100 watch this video.


Grit


All birds need grit to help them digest food. This grit is mixed in the gizzard & aids in breaking down large pieces of food. Coarse sand can be used as grit for birds that are 2-3 weeks of age. As the birds get older, you will want to increase to a larger crushed granite grit.


Bedding


The chicks will need fresh bedding added on top of the old bedding when it gets soiled & compacted. Straw or hay is perfect because it's affordable & easily accessible. Other options are wood shavings, sawdust pellets, or shredded paper. No need to clean out the bedding, just add it on top of the old soiled bedding.


After the chicks leave the brooder for good, you can either scoop the old bedding into the compost bin or leave it to break down for the next round of birds. Used poultry litter makes excellent compost or soil amendment.


By following these steps, you can be ready for your own flock of spring chicks. See our full selection of poultry feeders, poultry waters, Incubators, Supplements & Medication, Heat Lamps & Bulbs, Brooder Heaters, and more. If you have additional questions, leave them below, or give us a call at 888.433.5275.


Have any brooder tips of your own to share? Tell us in the comments section.

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