A brooder is, simply put, a box that provides the best way to care for your chicks. You wouldn't leave a newborn to fend for himself outdoors.
In the same way, chicks who are newly hatched shouldn't be left in the cold to fend for themselves. They need special shelter, plenty of warmth and attention. But caring for them isn't complicated.
Follow these steps, and you'll get your babies off to the right start.
The Basics For Your Newly Hatched Babies
Your hatchlings will need warmth, protection from the wet and predators, plenty of space, ventilation and no drafts.
Until your babies are four weeks old, they will need half a square foot per bird. Don't give them more space than that, or it will be hard for them to stay warm. Your birds will need a source a heat for the first few weeks of their lives. A light bulb - or better yet, a brooder bulb - is an excellent source of this heat.
Also keep a thermometer in your brooder. Your fledglings need a consistent temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week. This is extremely important. Until your babies lose their down and get real feathers, they cannot stay warm by themselves.
You must gradually acclimate them to the cooler temperatures, so after the first week, lower the temperature in the brooder to 90 degrees.
Every week after that, reduce the temperature by about five degrees until the temperature in the brooder matches that of the temps outside. Be careful with the temperature in your brooder. If it gets too cold, your chicks could develop diarrhea and get sick.
Plus, if they get cold while they are sleeping they could pile up on each other and smother. Likewise, if it gets too hot in the brooder, your chicks will die.
You'll be able to tell if your chicks are comfortable. They'll sound contented, wander throughout the brooder while awake and sleep side by side.
building a Nursery For Your Babies
The best place for your fledglings is a large box about one to two feet high. How big it needs to be will depend on how many chicks you plan to have.
We ordered 50 hatchlings, so we made our box six by six feet and two feet high. My husband Rick drilled plenty of holes near the top to provide ventilation.
We hung a thermometer from a cross beam so we could check the temperature inside the brooder quickly and easily. We hung a light bulb from a cord. When it got too warm, we raised the bulb and likewise lowered it when it got too cold.
We provided two waterers that we got from a feed supply store. My husband made the feeder out of PVC pipe.
Special Treatment
If you order your babies through the mail, they will need special attention right away.
They can spend up to two days in transport and have been without food or water. To prevent them from going into shock, give them a homeopathic remedy called Arnica.
Like many homeopathic remedies, Arnica is available from your local health food store. Try to obtain a remedy of 30C. The remedy comes in small pellets. Crush three to six pellets between two teaspoons.
Add the crushed pellets to your hatchlings' water. Give your chicks water as soon as possible. They can go without water up to 48 hours after they hatch, but it is stressful for them, and the sooner you give them water, the better.
Keep Things Clean
The old adage, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" was never more true than when it comes to your babies.
So many diseases can be avoided by providing clean litter for your hatchlings and changing it frequently. However, until your little ones are eating well, cover up the litter with paper towels to keep them from eating the litter by mistake.
Change the paper toweling frequently to keep things clean. Likewise, change their litter frequently. Add that wonderful, dirty litter to your compost pile.
It's a good idea to put your babies on litter from the very beginning. That way, they'll gradually become immune to coccidiosis - a nasty intestinal disease. The litter also helps keep them warm and dry and absorbs their droppings.
The best kinds of litter are wood shavings (pine not hardwood), peat moss, crushed corncobs, vermiculite and crushed cane. We used wood shavings and we able to obtain them from our feed supply store.
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