Polyface Designs brooder COMPLETED!

Showcasing our new chicken brooder for the 2022 season based on the design from Joel Salatin’s book Polyface Designs. The book is worth it’s weight in gold. Get it if you don’t have it!

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Just snooping for brooder ideas. Thank you for sharing.

[@ArtByKarenEHaley]

The brooder is looking great! I'm currently building my own free-from-scrap brooder. I'm glad I watched this because it gave me a few ideas. For instance, I am going to use the "hood prop 5000" you used to hold the lid open

[@stonepillarfarm9089]

Thanks! Good luck on your build. Cheap or free is great, so long as it doesn't mean a poorer design that ends up costing you more in chore time and animal loss. My original brooder was free but cost me 10 times the hours in labor during brooding because of how poor the setup was. I also lost way more birds due to piling because they were cold without the nice shenvec brooder heater. Raising birds this year is a completely different experience now that brooding is so easy and automated.

[@coreyvernon2291]

Nice job mike!

[@journeyfortwo5211]

Good work

[@AndyVlcek]

How much propane do you use for that heater?

[@fishduckdog]

Paint over the red and use white or tan.

[@alexandersardelis8442]

Where do you get the ShenVEC heater? I can't seem to find them. Do you have a link?

[@stonepillarfarm9089]

They are very hard to find. The only place I found to get them is the Farmer Boy Ag website: farmerboyag.com/shenandoah/ One of the problems is that you can only buy the heater in a pack of 4, which is very expensive, and probably not needed unless you have a huge operation. Best thing to do is try to find another farmer(s) who wants some heaters as well and split the cost. That's what I did.

[@alexandersardelis8442]

@@stonepillarfarm9089 awesome thanks!

[@lynxacresb5331]

Do they only have this one brooder design in their book? Do they have a design for a smaller one as well? Like maybe half that size?

[@stonepillarfarm9089]

Yes, this is the only design in the book. I think you could easily make this half size (4x4) but the problem would be that the propane heater would not have enough room to safely operate. The main benefit of this brooder is that heater. Anything that is secure from rats and can safely operate the heater is good to go.

[@lynxacresb5331]

@@stonepillarfarm9089 thanks. I have been thinking of making something that’s 4x8. Still thinking about it :)

[@coreyvernon2291]

Nice job mike! Can you build me one of those? I only live like 600 miles away 🤠

[@stonepillarfarm9089]

Thanks Corey. I can, but you're not going to like the shipping cost 😄

[@boykalmado5340]

capacity?

[@stonepillarfarm9089]

Polyface Designs lists the capacity at 250 chicks.

[@dennistaylor3796]

Staple cardboard to make rounded corners so chicks don't pile up and smother each other

[@stonepillarfarm9089]

Good tip Dennis. Thanks!