Well here we go. This time we will be brooding 50 chicks. we build our brooder out of what ever
we have around, it does not take much or have to be fancy. The front panel is from a cage we use in the summer
to put the chicks outside. However, we are in Iowa and the chicks will be here February 22 or so and the temperature
will be about 0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. We will have to make it nice and cozy. So lets get started. You can still
see our old baby pictures of our Iowa Blues by clicking baby2.
We set up the brood area according to how many chicks we will have. You can build it anywhere you
can block all of the wind out. This is 3.5 ft X 12 or about 42 sq. ft. We cut 2X4 blocks to set our waterers on.
We will be brooding 50 chicks this time.
Testing our 250 watt heat lamps. They should be red, it will help keep them from pecking each other.
We use a cheap tarp to hold the heat in. We can adjust the temperature by moving the tarp as well. We will also
have to cover the front chicken wire panel to stop all drafts.
We have our bedding in. The best thing we have found is wood chips(not sawdust) it should be about
2 inches deep and kept clean and dry. As you can see our blocks for the waterers are working good.
We split a trash bag and duck taped it to the front, like I said not fancy just functional. Also,
make sure you have vitamins and electrolytes to get them off to a good start.
