How to Build a Brooder

Baby chicks require constant heat and protection from drafts and predators such as rodents. Food and water must be available to them at all times. It is also important that their quarters can easily be cleaned, to prevent disease. Commercial brooders, which provide for all the chicks' needs, can cost hundreds of dollars. Brooders built at home can work just as well but cost much less.

Things You'll Need

  • 90-quart clear plastic storage bin
  • Box knife with sharp blade
  • ½-inch hardware cloth
  • Wire cutters
  • Strips of lath
  • Staple gun
  • ½-inch-wide heavy-duty plumber's tape
  • Tin snips
  • Metal heat lamp reflector with wire safety frame
  • 4 ½ inch size 10 machine screws
  • 4 size 10 nuts
  • 100-watt red flood lamp bulb
  • Paper towels
  • Thermometer
  • Chick waterer
  • Chick feeder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut out the center portion of one half of the lid. Cut the hardware cloth to fit the hole, allowing 1 inch extra on all sides. Staple it to the underside of the lid. Use strips of lath on the top of the bin so the staples do not poke out.

    • 2

      Remove safety frame from reflector. Cut four strips of plumber's tape, each 4 inches long. Use one screw and one nut to attach one piece of plumber's tape to each of four holes around the rim of the reflector. The tape should be perpendicular to the rim. Bend each piece of tape to create a stable foot about 2 inches long. Screw the bulb into the reflector.

    • 3

      Cover the bottom of the container with four or five layers of paper towels. Do not substitute other materials for the paper towels, as very young chicks can be harmed by newspapers or other unsuitable materials. Put the thermometer in the back half of the container. Place the feeder and waterer in the front half.

    • 4

      Place the lid on the brooder, with the screened half at the back. Put the heat lamp on the screened portion of the lid, being sure it is completely on the wire. Ensure the plumber's tape feet hold the reflector well off the wire. Adjust the feet if necessary.

    • 5

      Plug in and turn on the heat lamp. Wait several hours and check the temperature in the back half of the brooder. It should be 95 degrees Fahrenheit. If not, raise or lower the bulb to adjust the temperature. If it remains too hot, use a bulb with lower wattage. If it does not get warm enough, get a bulb with higher wattage. If the temperature is suitable, your brooder is complete and ready to use.