Things You'll Need
- 1-foot wide hardboard sheet
- Wood glue
- Newspaper
- Wood shavings
- Paper towel
- Infrared lamp
Instructions
Count how many chicks you have.
Determine the appropriate size of brooder based on the number of chicks. Each chick needs approximately half a square foot of space. For example, if you had ten chicks, you would need a brooder that is 5 square feet.
Divide the area of the brooder by pi and take the square root of the value. Multiply the result by 2. In the example dividing 5 by 3.14 and taking the square root equals about 1.3. Doubling 1.3 equals 2.6. This value will be the diameter of the cylinder brooder.
Purchase a 1-foot wide sheet of hardboard that, when bent into a cylinder, has a diameter equal to that calculated in Step 3.
Form the hardboard into a cylinder with a diameter equal to that calculated in Step 3. Use wood glue to attach the ends together.
Hold the ends together until the glue dries; this should take about 10 minutes.
Place three layers of newspaper under the cylinder.
Layer the entire inside of the cylinder with a 1-inch pile of wood shavings. Place paper towel over the wood shavings.
Set the infrared lamp over the top of the brooder and turn it on for a few minutes prior to placing the chicks inside the structure.