Brooder room

[John W Blehm]

The steel cover on the floor brooder was leftover from a pole barn.  It originally worked off a wafer thermostat, but now the Lux thermostat regulates it.  The heating element was a clearance item at TSC, years ago, designed to keep livestock water tanks from freezing.  I put a welded wire cage around the element to protect the birds.  There is a low watt LED to attack the chicks and shed some light.  Now days they suggest blue lights for growing birds, but the red one works. 
Note I place the brooder close to the wall so the small chicks can come and go, but the bigger ones generally avoid the tight space.

[Max Strawn]

Thanks for posting the pics. A visual always helps. I'll post pics of mine when it's done.

[Dennis Heltzel]

When in full swing there will be hundreds of chicks in the brooder room, from a couple days old to maybe 6 weeks old for the bantams.  No partitions.  More chicks go in each week and in a month or so I'll start pulling out the older ones to go out into a coop in the chicken barn.  In the brooder room many of the youngest chicks spend a lot of time under the floor brooder.
The 2 cabinet brooders, on 2 by 4 legs, in the hatchery have deep dropping pans for wood shavings and they work great.  I just sprinkle more shavings on top as needed and don't have to clean them until the end of the hatching season.

Materials needed:
(4) Legs, 2x4s (actual size 1 ½  x 3 ½) x 48” (may be shorter if using pre-cut studs)
(1) Top Back, 7/16” OSB, 48” x 10”
(1) Door - Top Front, 7/16” OSB, 48” x 16”
(3) Hinges, 2” or whatever
(1) Front, 7/16” OSB, 51” x 10”
(2) Supports - bottom, 1x4 (actual size ¾ x 3 ½ or 3 5/8) x 51”
(1) Back, 7/16” OSB, 51” x 16”
(1) Bottom, 7/16” OSB, 48” x 27”
(2) Sides, 7/16” OSB, 25” x 16”
(4) Supports – inside front & back, 1x4 (could even use 1x3) x47”
(4) Supports – inside on sides, 1x4 or 1x3 x 23 ½”
(1) Support – inside divider, 1x4 or 1x3 x 23 ½”
(1) Window on top – acrylic, ¼” (or whatever) x 6” x 24” (I added a couple more in front, later, for short kids to peek in)
(1) Support – door, 2x4 x 45 ½”
(1) Droppings Pan, galvanized, 6” x 26 ½” x 46 ½”
(1) 33” Brooder Heater, #5040 thru Cutler’s Supply
(3) Pan Slides, 1x4 or 1x3 x 26 ½”
(1) Hardware Cloth, 24 ¼” x 46 ¾”
(3) ¼” x ¾” Wood Strips - sides, 25” long
(2) ¼” x ¾” Wood Strips – front & back, 45 ½” long
(1) ¼” x ¾” Wood Strip - center, 23 1/2 “ long
A bunch of 1” drywall screws

Do you use 1/2 or 1/4 inch Hardware Cloth for the bottom? Any problems with hurt legs on that ? I usually put them on paper for the first week or 2.

[John W Blehm]

Do you use 1/2 or 1/4 inch Hardware Cloth for the bottom? Any problems with hurt legs on that ? I usually put them on paper for the first week or 2.

1/4" hardware cloth is what GQF used on their hatch trays 1/2" is used on many brooders, but I used 1/3".  It was hard to find and I bought a 100' roll.  I still have most of it.
I think the wire mesh for the first few days may help with them, especially those that tend to have what some call spraddle legs.

[Max Strawn]

Ok, my floor brooder is complete and in service. The only problem I see is keeping the water clean for the smaller chicks. The water for the older chicks is elevated enough to keep it pretty clean.

 I'll also try using a rabbit feeder so only the chicks under the floor brooder can eat from it.

[John W Blehm]

Max,

With the large cutouts on each end and the openings of the steel ribs on the end boards, I don't think you'll hold the heat inside the floor brooder.  You want it warmer under there for the younger chicks.  I would also suggest lowering the heating element closer to the heads of the chicks.

[Max Strawn]

I cut two pieces of plexiglass to cover the openings if needed. I wanted to be able to see inside without raising it up. The Texas weather is much warmer than yours so I wanted to be sure they had adequate ventilation. It has been mostly in the 70's for the last few weeks...

[John W Blehm]

Max,

I thought about the difference in climate, but you have a thermostat on there also so I don't think that comes into play.

[Russ Blair]

You guys are killing me with these ideas. I am so pressed with time after building another breeder pen/conditioning pen I broke down and ordered a dickey hatcher. I wasn't going to have time to build one as planned. Ok now my rant is over let me chime in on a concern of mine Max. To me it looks like your wafer is mounted high up on the brooder. I would be concerned about floor temp fluctuating to much? It may just be the picture and I am sure you used a thermometer at the floor to set it. It could be the Michigander in me, use to 30 degree nights and 60+ degree day time fluctuations.

[Suki]

That's a nice unit Russ.  Congratulations. Did you get the acrylic door?  I think for hatching that would be a winner. Let us know how it works out

http://dickeyincubators.com/hatcher.htm

[Russ Blair]

No I didn't get the acrylic door. I may upgrade it later, I have a batch hatching in it as I speak. I did opt for the dual wafer system after concerns if electronic thermostat being plugged by down. Seems to hold steady.

[Suki]

Interesting about the thermostat.  You are definitely hatching alot.  Every time you post you are either just finished a hatch or putting one in.  Most impressive.

[Gerald E Hall]

How does the battery box work? Could I build a box like that and use a couple digital heat fans like in the incubators? I have a brinsea but it's only good for small hatches. I've been using a 4x4 welping box and a heat lamp.

[Suki]

Hello Gerald
AS for digital heat fans do you mean  LEDS for heat?  LEDS do not put out heat that is way they last so long.  Perhaps I misunderstand.

Here is a commercial batter brooder though Russ got his from Dickey, same idea though.  I couldn't find a manual for any of them btw.
http://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_detail_list/battery-brooders

As for making one, here is an idea that maybe you can adapt from Mother Earth News.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/diy-chicken-brooder-zmaz77zlan.aspx

[John W Blehm]

Here is a commercial batter brooder though Russ got his from Dickey, same idea though.

Dickey makes and sells incubators, but I don't think he sells brooders(?).