When raising chickens you will need certain things and equipment so you can properly raise them. One of these things is the chicken coop which serves as the dwelling of your chickens. If you plan on raising chicks, then you will also need a chicken brooder.
The chicken brooder is an important piece of equipment when your chicks have started hatching from their eggs. You may question the need for the chicken brooder since don’t animals just let their babies be in the wild?
Your backyard is not “the wild,” and while your home may be tamer than the chickens’ natural habitat, it is still your responsibility to make sure that your chickens are properly housed especially during the most delicate time of their lives.
If you can’t provide your chickens with a chicken brooder, you should reconsider raising them.
What Is A Chicken Brooder?
A chicken brooder is where you place your baby chicks are they are hatched. As with most living things, a newly-born chick is not equipped to face harsh elements. The chicken brooder serves as the environment where babies are placed until they are fully equipped for the “outside world.”
Ideally, chicks remain in the chicken brooder for about a month. After this, the chicks will shed their baby feathers and grow permanent ones. These feathers are more suited for their protection.
Like an incubator, a chicken brooder is primarily a heated controlled space. Chicks are easily overwhelmed by cold weather. The chicken brooder enables you to control the environment where the chicks are staying.
In commercial operations, chicken brooders are very complex. After all, they could not afford to lose their chicks.
Owners of backyard chickens need not resort to this complex machinery since they can simply create a controlled environment of their own. A chicken brooder made from a simple box with a heat source is sufficient enough, as long as it maintains certain requirements.
First, the chicken brooder should have ample space. According to experts and various materials, your chicken brooder should have half a square foot per chicken to be placed in the brooder.
Too little space will mean the chicks will not have ample room. Too much, however, will mean the chicken brooder won’t be heated sufficiently. As it is, half a square foot per chicken should be sufficient enough.
Just like a chicken coop, the chicken brooder should be well ventilated as well. You simply want to control the temperature… you do not want them to be thoroughly heated.
The ideal temperature of the brooder is 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week. After a week, you lower the temperature by five degrees until the temperature of the chicken brooder is the same as the temperature outside. This way, the chicks will not be overwhelmed or shocked by the temperature outside their controlled environment.
To control the temperature you need a heating source. Light bulbs are good substitutes, but you will need a heat source you can control. After all, you need to change the temperature of the brooder from time to time. This is why a brooder bulb is more efficient.
You need to plan and build your chicken brooder properly and thoroughly. But as this demonstrates, building one can be every easy. As long as it is well ventilated, has a reliable heat source, and has ample space, your chicken brooder is sure to be effective.
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