Author Topic: 2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....  (Read 4897 times)

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« on: March 21, 2006, 11:28:04 PM »
One RubberMaid Tub: $12

One 250W Infrared Bulb and 250W-rated fixture: $20

Melting bottom of the RubberMaid even with a temp only rising to 80F, because of IR waves in the heat bulb: PRICELESS.

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2006, 11:35:25 PM »
My final brooder (shown in the first photo) is 4\' x 2\' x 2\' made out of wood. I removed the 250W IR bulb and put in a 100W red-colored non-IR bulb. I\'m still futzing with the bulb height to get 95F in there. With the bulb on the netting like that, the temp doesn\'t go above 80F. If I hang the bulb down from the board, it soars over 100F. Probably elevating the crossbar 3\" or so will do the trick. I\'ll try that tomorrow. Doing all this testing now before I load it with birds.

The second photo which I failed to attach to the first post shows my first PRICELESS attempt at the brooder.


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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2006, 08:13:29 AM »
Well, now I can prove to my dear husband that \"You can\'t use those tubs for EVERYTHING\"!  ;)He thinks they are the best thing, since sliced bread... I love the wooden brooder. What are the measurements on it, please? Deb

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2006, 10:01:48 AM »
Deb,

The measurements are 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, 2 feet high. I\'m brooding about 30 birds (down from the 40 I projected). You don\'t want anything much larger than this, because it becomes bulky and heavy to move. Beyond 30 - 40 birds, just build a second unit.

You can get pieces of 4 x 8 3/8\" plywood from the local big box (Home Depot or Lowes) usually cut down into \"handy boards.\" I used three 4 x 2 sheets and two 2 x 2s. I used some 1 x 2 strips to join the pieces, because there is no other way to join plywood, especially plywood this thin. I didn\'t want to get involved with mortise and tenon or anything fancy for a brooder box. The beauty of this is that the only cutting you\'ll have to do is the 1 x 2 strips. The rest is screwing with the cordless drill. I used 1\" x No. 8 screws. I prefer the square heads to flat and philips -- the square heads don\'t slip. Construction can be done in about 90 minutes to two hours at a liesurely pace -- I did it in an hour, but I was rushing some.

Get a piece of 2 x 4 that\'s a little more than 2 feet. I found one that\'s 30 inches. Right in the middle of this, you drill a pilot hole and then screw in an hook screw. You hang your brooder lamp off this crossbar. I used my 250W fixture, but I removed the 250W IR bulb and put in a 100W flood light with a red lens. You want red, but no IR. I use the 250W IR for the coop in the winter.

Get several more pieces of 2 x 4 which you position diagonally to raise the crossbar and consequently the lamp. The 2 x 4 stack should form a V at one end of the box, then you run the crossbar at the opening of the V. No drilling or anything -- just lay them there.

Right now, I have a stack of three 2 x 4s and the temp is 90F in there. If it stays 90, I\'ll take a 2 x 4 off the stack (on each side) and thus lower the lamp 1 3/4 inches. That might get me to 95F for the first week.

After I\'m done brooding, I\'ll post the lamp heights for each 5 degree increment so as to eliminate some trial and error.

--Ron

John

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2006, 10:41:21 AM »
A couple thoughts...I would cover most of the top to hold the heat and if the bottom is closed off I would add some vents to allow for fresh air circulation at the chick level.

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2006, 01:05:32 PM »
Perhaps I can use the top of my RubberMaid bin to cover the top. :p Just kidding!

That 100W bulb is powerful. I should take a test with the thermometer at the other end of the box and see what the temp is. I finally got 95F or something close to it right under the lamp at the deck....I do want a section of brooder where it\'s a little cooler. The bottom of the bulb is about 3 inches higher than the top of the box to achieve this temperature. I have the fixture straddling a stack of 2 2 x 4s.

I\'m going to cover the whole thing in poultry netting, but if I have to cover about half of the box, I have some pieces of board in the shed I can throw on top.

If I do the vents -- how big should they be -- in what shape and whereabouts on the box should they be?

Thanks.

--Ron

John

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2006, 04:05:33 PM »
Quote
If I do the vents

You could drill a bunch of small diameter holes (maybe around 3/16th dia.) about an inch above the floor and an inch apart on one or both ends of the box.
When I built small box brooders several years ago I put the vents in the bottom on the opposite end as the vents in the top to get the best air flow or circulation to the entire area.

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2006, 04:10:29 PM »
John,

Thank you. I think for this round, I\'m going to leave it alone. Hatching time is too close now. I was working 3 - 11 yesterday and 7 - 3 today, so that took care of messing with the brooder any further.

The room the brooder is in is cool, because I closed the registers in there (save on gas).

I\'ve got to get ready to welcome the birds to the world -- and give them their Mareck\'s vaccination (yep. I\' got the vaccine [Thanks Laura for the info] and I\'m going to play avian vet today or tomorrow).

Right now, I\'m on hatching vigil. I\'m six hours away from Day 21, so hatching can start any time now....anything from 0 - 30 birds.

I\'m just glad that \'bator has picture windows....

--Ron

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2006, 07:20:07 PM »
Is this the only batch of chicks you are going to hatch this season? I personally don\'t vaccenate for mareks OEGB seem to have a natural resistance to it, but I have helped friends that do since the vaccine comes in 1000 doses they wait till they are done hatching for the year then do all the chicks at once. I don\'t know if it still consists of a pill that is dissolved in saline but you can break the pill down into 1/4\'s and have enough to vaccinate 4 times. Chris

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2006, 07:26:46 PM »
I read somewhere that vaccinating for Marek\'s was only good on day-old chicks.  Waiting till the chicks were older or vaccinating adolescent or adult stock was a waste because it did no good.

Is this true?

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2006, 08:16:32 PM »
The vaccine is a powder that\'s mixed with an orange liquid. The bottle is good for 1000 chicks, but you have an hour or two to use it. I don\'t know how one would vaccinate that many chicks in such a short time. I\'m doing 30. It\'s my only hatch of the year -- though my wife wants me to incubate more Ameraucana eggs -- just in case they might be fertile.

The remaining 970 doses have to be thrown away. The vaccine is administered sub-cutaneously via needle with the needle only going 1/4 inch into the skin at a 45-degree angle. It\'s done in the skin at the top of the neck.

The vaccine is indeed good only on day-olds; and the entire batch has to be done at one time.

No sooner did I leave the machine after I posted -- the first egg pipped. Four have pipped so far. It will be day 21 at 10 PM for my hatch. I wonder if this is going to be an all-nighter????

bantamhill

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2 Posts on Brooders -- First What Not to Do....
« Reply #11 on: March 25, 2006, 07:01:42 PM »
I use the 55 gallon rubber maid containers currently. I drill holes in the tops and will do the sides when I clean them again. I use two brood lamps with regular light bulbs in the sockets. I start with 100 watt and lower the watts over time. The containers work well, but I do not like all of the space they take up.

Michael