DIY Chicken Brooder for up to 72 chicks!

[@danle746]

I’m starting a quail venture and this brooder is my favorite one that I’ve seen, thanks for sharing

[@august3777]

The brooder turned out really. Can’t wait to see the chickens, and the turkeys. Really fun stuff going on down there.

[@WattsWayFarm]

Thanks. I am definitely not a great carpenter. If you get close enough you see where none of my cuts are as precise as they probably could be, but I think this brooder is going to work nicely. Can’t wait to see it in action!

[@janicealderson4329]

A lovely off the ground box!

[@RobertJeffries-oo3ee]

Great job snd good design. Be careful at the sharp metal edges. I’m framing mine out so nothing sharp exposed. I would be the first one cut thanks so much for sharing.

[@sjl93]

Thanks for mentioning the possible errors! It looks like a nice design, I’ll be building a similar brooder this coming Spring. 🙂

[@cynthiarios5331]

Hey Watts ! I too am south Alabama .

[@rextrex1169]

So cool! Ready to see some chickens!!!

[@WattsWayFarm]

Thanks. We too are very excited see the baby chick and being able to expand our farm some more!

[@padave29]

I have had these plans for a couple years, but have been just getting by with what I had on hand. I plan to build it this year, so this critique was helpful! We use 2 Suskovich tractors, just like you had planned to do here. Did you find that it fit your 60ish chicks pretty well? That's about what we order each batch. Thansk!

[@doublettipton]

where do you put your warming light? (maybe I missed that info, forgive me if I did)

[@TheGnarlyGnome89]

Mine is similar 8ft long 4ft wide

[@danielwagner6290]

I would build one with a hardware cloth bottom and trays under that. I don't like the idea of chicks and chickens sitting in there own poop. You get less poopy butt. I would also make the whole top of the roof the opening minus the flat rain catcher on the back. Always mention your state and time of year or weather temps at the time of brooding for people watching. It helps people to decide if this brooder design is right for their state.

[@d.a.tsun5104]

hardware cloth is too rough for chicks. 1/2 in square grid is also too wide for little chicks' feet but if you go smaller, their poops would clog up the cloth.

[@danielwagner6290]

@@d.a.tsun5104 Easy fix with putting some paper towel down until they can walk better in the begging. A few days to 1 week old. After that it's fine. Having them sit on there poop in shavings doesn't help with poopy butt. Which is what I did with my first chicks.

[@d.a.tsun5104]

@@danielwagner6290 I tried that too in my first brooder: disgusting. I didn't use paper towel, not for 28 chicks trampling on it. I used newspaper. The chicks spilt water and pooped on flat surface = the stepped on the poop 100% of the time, compared to using wood shaving that would bury the poops as they scratched and kicked the shaving. And I had to constantly replace the paper - not even 2 hrs time the paper was drenched and soiled. The paper got shredded and stuck to the wire, making it even harder to clean and you couldn't just put new paper on it because newspaper paper is very absorbent that it wicked up the wetness of the paper below it. They didn't get poopy butt/pasty butt from walking on poops but from poor digestion, so I gave them ACV/Honey drink and they're better. We didn't have many pasty butt chickies either, only 2 and the condition wasn't grave because we watched them every time we changed their water or refill their feeder and we inspect them one by one every other day.

[@marafreshfarmer]

I have bit bigger brooder and use it for about 30 -35 chiks, in 3 weeks its too small for them.. Cant imagine put there 72 chicks.. Just my expiriences ;)

[@WattsWayFarm]

It did get a bit crowded on them towards the end. We changed or added fresh bedding daily.

[@damiendecamp508]

Are you processing by yourself?

[@Flowing23]

👍👍👍

[@melaibatestil645]

Wow.......😮 It's very nice sir.... Thank you for sharing😊

[@schammond8993]

Great job on brooder. Meat chickens are Super EATERS, Super Drinkers and Super POOPERS. That vinyl floor will help with your cleanout. I put one in mine Thank Goodness. They poop on everything.

[@Screamingpinesfarm]

Before youtube they called it a Hobbyfarm.