Brooding Poultry
Brooding is in my opinion, the most important step of raising birds. You are getting them started in life, choosing nutrition, and providing the foundation for life. Let’s discuss what is needed for this stage of the process.
Let’s begin from the floor up. Do not put the brooder on a cold floor. Any kind of a chill is a deadly force for chicks. If you brood in the winter, this is super important, the chill of concrete seems to seep into everything! Simply lift the brooder off the floor to allow the heat of the room to circulate underneath.
The literal brooder is pretty open to interpretation. I have used many things, cardboard boxes to commercial brooders and I settled on tubs. You need to choose what works best for you, not really a wrong answer as long as it has solid sides to stop drafts. Commercial style offer larger waterers and feeders and hold more quantity. I did not like cleaning them. Cardboard boxes are super easy as you can just dispose of them when the chicks are out of them. no cleaning involved. Troughs are popular but can be big and difficult to clean. For me, smaller tubs was the answer. I can pick them up to move the chicks, no transferring them to another box for transport. I can keep hatches separate. I can pick them up to dump the contents out and clean quickly. They come with lids I can cut out and replace with screen to prevent flying out. It keeps the chicks from wandering to far from heat or food. Decide on your space and your needs and don’t be afraid to change it up yearly to find what works best for you.
Heat is up next. I use brooder plates, i even sell them on my store. As long as the brooder is in a consistent temperature room, meaning no open barns, the brooder plate takes all the guesswork out of heating the chicks. IF you think about chickens raised by a hen, they wander around and then come back under her for a warm up. This is the brooder plate, it gives them a place to hide under that is warm and safe for them, instinctively. What I see is that they are used incorrectly. The plate literally warms the chick thru touch, it does not warm the space. No need for thermometers and tracking, but the chicks need to be able to reach it while laying down. Since they grow at different rates, tilt the plate where one side is lower. They have adjustable legs, just shorten 2 down to lowest for the smallest bird and the other 2 taller for the chicks to wander in by ducking their heads. I do not recommend heat lamps as they are fire starters. I know this is controversial, but I will not change my mind on it. Bulbs break, lamps fall, dust happens, birds fly, and fires happen. Do not risk your buildings and life on a lamp.
Bedding is on the list! I believe I have used them all. Peat moss is fantastic for the birds and awful on the dust it creates. Newspaper is what we used when i was a kid, it holds moisture and I can still smell it. Puppy pads are fantastic if you do not brood alot, because of convenience and keeps birds dry. Flakes are the go to but they hold moisture and moisture equals smell, dusty and can actually mold. Wire is good if it is small enough. I have settled on stall pellets as my go to. A bag lasts a long time because you do not need much, they keep the birds dry, they can go into the compost, and best of all, I don’t have to change them all the time. If needed, I just scoop out what needs to go, give it a stir and done. You can find stall pellets in the horse section of the box stores.
You will need varying sizes of waterers, small one for the first days and larger as they grow. They need to have water available at all times, no colder than room temperature. Feed should be species specific and a quality starter. I do not grind feed except for buttons for a few days, and even then its just a half grind for varying particle sizes. I do not prefer a medicated starter for any bird because I am in the business of raising healthy birds and want good immune systems, I do not want to run a hospital. That is a personal choice that is for another blog.
Lastly is the how long? That is going to vary with species and weather. As they age, draft is more important than heat. For example, ducks seems to only need heat for a couple of days, I still offer it of course, but keeping them draft free seems to be all they need. Where as button quail seem to want heat for 3-4 weeks. Turkeys are where I feel people rush it. They get large quicker and are mistaken for ready for the outside world. I am of the opinion that turkeys should be brooded for 2-3 months. Their immune system seems more fragile and many poults are lost by novices by putting them on dirt too early. They have a reputation for being hard to raise as a result. Build up their immune system and gut health and then expose them to dirt. Turkeys are a long term commitment, so take the time in the beginning for a solid start.
Treats are last because I do not recommend them. You don’t give twinkies to newborns do you? You want to fill them with nutrition, not empty calories.
I hope this helps your poultry journey, let me know what you thiink!