6

THE ART OF BROODING:

PREPARING THE NURSERY FOR YOUR NEW ARRIVALS

If chicks are in your future, regardless of whether you hatch them using an incubator, order them from a hatchery, or buy them from a feed store, you will need a brooder for your new arrivals.

A brooder, your new chicks’ home for their first few weeks of life, is a box or pen that provides them a warm and dry place to live, a fresh and continuous supply of food and water, and protection from predators and a potentially harsh outside environment. It does what a mother hen would do in nature.

Your chicks live in the brooder—which is frequently indoors but always somewhere temperature-controlled—until they fully feather, usually between six and eight weeks of life. Actual length of time, however, depends on outside temperatures and the season; in January, they may need up to twelve weeks, but during summertime, they may need just four.

A brooder consists of several parts:

Container

Heat source

Waterer

Feeder

Bedding

Thermometer

A brooder box does not have to be fancy. You have three options for obtaining a brooder: Purchase a commercial one; buy a kit that includes some brooder parts and requires you to provide some; or make your own homemade brooder out of wood, a kiddie pool, a plastic or rubber storage bin, a cardboard box, and so on.

A baby chick taking a drink from a commercial brooder trough.

SELECTING A BROODER

Because we all have different expectations and preconceptions for brooders, different types work for different people. When picking out your brooder, consider one that works well for you, your schedule, and your chicks.

Tall sides make chick escapes unlikely.

An elongated shape allows plenty of room for growing chicks to move toward and away from the heat source.

Sturdy sides and handles offer a perfect place to support a heat source.

Plastic or rubber material makes it easy to clean and disinfect.

Wheels, found on some models, make it easily moveable.

Commercial brooder boxes are fantastic if you have the budget to purchase one. With water troughs, feed troughs, built-in heaters, and removable floors for cleaning, they make for an easy and pleasant brooding experience.

A commercial brooder

A completely functioning homemade brooder made from a rubber/plastic bin

Brinsea EcoGlow 20 brooder heater and brooder corral

Chicks get cold quickly because they haven’t yet feathered out (they have only down) and therefore haven’t bulked up their internal heat source. There’s no mother hen to keep them warm, so, as chicken owner, that’s your job. To be clear, every heat source can be a fire hazard, but some are much safer than others.

Every year, homes burn to the ground because the heat source in a brooder failed. In early 2016, a woman was killed in a house fire that directly resulted from a brooder heat source, in this case, a heat lamp. The good old-fashioned heat lamp is the most used brooder heater in America. Why? It only costs about $12 and is readily available.

While I have used heat lamps many times without incident, I no longer use them due to the fire risk. If you do choose to use one as a heat source for your brooder, you must implement several levels of attachment to make sure the heat lamp does not fall into the brooder shavings below.

However, even if you do your part to secure the heat lamp correctly, there is still another risk we have seen increasing in recent years. The bulbs that are most common for use in these lamps all seem to be coming from China. Apparently, the adhesive they use to keep the glass globe in the socket part of the bulb is failing due to the incredible heat created by the bulb. The bulb then falls out of the socket into the shavings below and either causes a fire or breaks into thousands of pieces, which your chicks will then eat. So, to try and prevent these mishaps, you now need to wrap either hardware cloth or chicken wire around the heat lamp guard to prevent the bulb from falling out. Again, these heat lamps are widely used because of the low price and availability. However, if you decide to use one, I suggest you call your homeowners insurance company to find out what your deductible is if your home catches fire.

The Brinsea EcoGlow 50 and 20

There are much safer brooder heaters available. Why are they not used as much as the previously mentioned heat lamps? They range in price from $75 to $150—but that’s much less than the average insurance deductible if your house burns to the ground! For brooder use, I prefer the Brinsea EcoGlow 20 or 50. They each provide enough heat for your chicks and are much safer. Another favorite of mine is the Sweeter Heater. It, too, can be used in a brooder, but in my opinion, it’s best suited if you choose to heat your coop in the winter, even though that is not necessary in most cases.

There are two basic lamp types. One has a direct wire from the outlet to a ceramic base where the bulb is inserted. The connection of the plug to electricity alone turns this lamp on and off. The second lamp has a wire that connects from the outlet to a plastic base, which also has an on/off switch. For safety reasons, we discourage using cheaper plastic lamps. We’ve seen them melt due to high heat from constant bulb use in the brooder.

It’s important to note that you do not want your entire brooder to be 95°F (35°C). Chicks need access to cooler areas, as mentioned next.

If you pay close attention to your chicks, however, you do not truly need a thermometer in your brooder. If there is a draft in the brooder, your chicks will chirp loudly as they huddle in the corner that provides them the greatest protection. Through their actions and their peeps, the chicks will let you know whether to increase or reduce the temperature. Try this: After adding heat to the brooder, watch how the chicks react. If all the chicks are loud, huddled close to the heat source, or lethargic, they are too cold. Up the temperature either by lowering the heat source or increasing the wattage of the bulb. If this does not solve the problem, consider the fact that you may have a draft. If the chicks stay far away from the light, chirp loudly, or pant, they are most likely too hot. A reaction to a heat source that’s too hot may take time. After you increase the temperature, check the chicks every fifteen minutes to be sure they do not overheat. If the brooder’s too hot, correct this problem by lifting the heat source above the chicks or by putting in a lower-wattage bulb.

The chicks do not need a uniform temperature throughout the entire brooder. It is best to keep one area of the brooder warm, but not too hot, and keep other areas cooler so the chicks can regulate their own comfort levels. We have seen more chicks die from overheating than from being too cold because chicken owners put the chicks in a small box with a heat source that’s too close. This is why the brooder needs to have an oblong shape or wide base that allows the chicks to get away from the heat source.

Whether you choose to clamp, hang, or set the heat lamp on the brooder, make sure it is secure with no chance of falling from its berth. Remember, all heat sources are fire hazards and should be treated with caution.

Several factors determine the wattage appropriate for the bulb. A 125-watt bulb usually works for chicks in a brooder housed in a controlled-temperature environment such as a basement. Consider a 250-watt bulb if the environment outside the brooder is cool, such as a garage during wintertime. And know that you can always change the bulb. We recommend swapping bulbs as the temperature changes with each season.

A direct wire brooder heat lamp with ceramic base

A red heat lamp bulb for use with the brooder heat lamp

A clear heat lamp bulb for use with the brooder heat lamp

You can make homemade feeders out of bowls or even egg cartons and homemade waterers out of plastic bowls, plastic bottle bottoms, or Mason jar lids. The drawbacks to homemade feeders and waterers are that chicks will climb into the feed and water, excrete into them, sleep in them, and ultimately knock them over, spilling the contents. You can certainly hot glue the homemade feeder or waterer to some cardboard so the chicks can’t turn it over, but it is best to use the feeders and waterers specifically designed for chicks found at a feed-and-seed store or online.

Base the size of your feeder and waterer on the number of chicks you have and brooder box size. Those too large for the brooder take away space from the chicks or make it difficult for them to move around. Those too small will need to be refilled frequently. Chicks need fresh feed and clean water at all times. Place the feeder and waterer apart from each other in the brooder box. As the chicks eat, they scratch through their food and toss it with their beaks. If the waterer is next to the feeder, some of this scattered food may end up in the water. Spoilage from this situation creates an unpleasant smell.

A plastic 1-quart (1 L) feeder with plastic base for use inside the brooder

A plastic 1-gallon (4 L) waterer for use inside the brooder

For young chicks, place the feeder and waterer directly on the brooder floor. As the chicks grow, raise the two to the level of their backs (but never any higher). Feed will always be spread about the brooder floor, but increasing the height of the feeder and waterer—by pulling hanging versions higher or adding small blocks or bricks to those on the ground—reduces the amount of feed they waste. Do not place the water directly beneath the heat source. Chicks need access to cool water, and the heat source may also heat the water.

A good surface on which to stand will help strengthen chicks’ legs and toes early in brooding. During the first day or two, fold up and place an old, nubby kitchen towel into the brooder box bottom. The nubby surface gives chicks a roughness to grab onto during the first few days after hatching and prevents spraddle leg, a condition in which a chick’s legs spread out from walking on a slick surface on which it cannot gain traction. Remove and discard the towel after it is soiled. After that, cover the brooder bottom with shavings in place of the towel.

Many people choose a wire floor for the brooder bottom. We recommend using 1/4-inch (6 mm) hardware cloth instead. This allows you to place a pan or a piece of cardboard under the wire to catch any wasted food, spilled water, and feces. The only disadvantage to this is that it does not allow the chicks to effectively use their natural instinct of scratching for food.

There are several types of shavings from which to choose. Some studies have shown negative side effects of cedar shavings on mice and small rodents—though not on chicks—but as a precaution, we discourage their use. Straw can carry a fungus that your chicks can pick up, possibly resulting in a respiratory infection. Try pine shavings, which are usually readily found and aren’t expensive. Aspen shavings are said to be the safest; they release the least toxic gasses of any wood shaving but are also more expensive.

Some people use shredded paper or newspaper as brooder bedding. Yes, newspaper is cheap, but it can harm the leg health of your chicks. When wet, these materials become slick and turn to mush, making cleaning difficult. Also, they can cause spraddle leg.

A rubber/plastic homemade brooder box with a wire lid

Even storage bins with tall sides may not prevent chicks from getting out. We have found that they flutter to the top of their feeder or waterer, which puts them at a height to then flutter out of the bin. Attaching upside-down cones to the tops of the feeders and waterers keeps the chicks from flying on top of them. Netting or a wire lid also may be a solution. Something as simple as a window screen will keep chicks inside the brooder and will allow for good airflow.

Be sure to supervise children at the brooder. Their curiosity could cause harm to your young brood.

INTRODUCING YOUR CHICKS TO THE BROODER

The brooder is finally set up and your chicks are ready to move in. What’s next?

1. Remove the chicks from the transport box (either from bringing them home or moving them from the incubator) one at a time and gently place them in the brooder. As you transfer them, examine each chick for any deformities, lethargy, or feces around their vent area.

2. Once each healthy chick is inside the brooder, gently dip its beak in water. Allow it to throw its head back to swallow and then dip its beak in the feed.

3. Repeat this process with every chick.

This is an important time with your chicks because not only are you showing them where to find their feed and water—what a mother hen would do—but you also are looking for any weakness that may cause problems for the chicks in the future.

BROODER MAINTENANCE

Feeders and waterers always need a fresh and constant supply of food or water. Depending on their size and the number of chicks, you may need to refill them as frequently as every two to three hours (especially homemade feeders or waterers), daily, or every couple of days. Constant monitoring of feed and water levels is essential.

It is also important to keep these essentials clean from feces, which can contaminate a food and water supply. To reduce this problem, keep them raised to the chicks’ chest level. Brood bantam and large fowl breeds separately; the height requirements for food and water equipment differ greatly.

When raising chicks at home, there is no mother hen to take care of them, so as their owner, it’s your job.

Poster board is an efficient disposable liner for your brooder.

The brooder will need regular cleaning, the timing of which will again depend on the brooder size, the number of chicks you have, and the size and age of your chicks. Here are some general guidelines: Spot clean daily (or at least every other day), and a full cleanout should be done weekly. Clean as necessary in the instance of a major water spill. Your nose and eyes will also let you know when you need to clean. As the chicks get bigger, you will probably find it necessary to clean the brooder daily.

Cleaning includes the following:

Replacing the bedding

Washing down the sides with soapy water

Taking apart and cleaning the feeders and waterers with soapy water and a sponge

Rinsing down the brooder with a hose

This may sound like common sense, but make sure to remove the chicks before you clean out the brooder. Place them in a box in a warm area.

When the chicks are ready to move outside to their new home, the chicken coop, you need to clean the brooder one final time. We recommend 1/4 cup (60 ml) bleach to 17 cups (4 L) of water. Use this bleach solution to scrub down the brooder, feeders, and waterers. Rinse these items thoroughly with water and let them dry. Store them safely for their next use.