Brooders & Brooder Temperatures
Build-your-own Brooder ... Brooder Temperatures & Other Information ... Available Brooders ... Breeders' Resources
Some very young chicks will do best in a dark brooder at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit, while a larger amount of older babies will do better in a glass fish tank at a lesser temperature. At the petstore you also can get small-animal plastic containers, which work great for this.
Whatever brooder you use should first be cleaned and disinfected, and thoroughly rinsed afterwards to remove any disinfectant residue.
The accuracy and dependability of a commercial brooder is always preferable; however, if you are not ready to take that step and don't really require the special features of a commercial brooder, please click on the below link for instructions to build your own brooder very inexpensively.
- Step-by-Step Instructions to Build Your Own Brooder
- Available Economy to Advanced Brooders & Brooder Lamps
Once the brooder is clean and dry, I line the brooder with paper towels. Other breeders use newspaper (shredded newspaper works great), or decomposed non-toxic saw dust, wood shavings (please note that wood shavings such as cedar and redwood are toxic). I wouldn't recommend the latters as they could cause crop impaction. I prefer paper towel or newsprint. I then place a heating pad under the tank (others might use heat lamps instead), and cover the tank either with a cover or a towel, keeping one corner open for air circulation. Make sure to warm the tank up to the correct temperature before adding the chicks. A non-breakable thermometer at "chick level" in the tank along with this temperature guide should help:
| Age of Chick | Degrees in Fahrenheit |
|---|---|
| 1-5 days | 94 - 96 |
| 6-9 days | 93 - 95 |
| 10-14 days | 91 - 93 |
| 15-21 days | 86 - 90 |
| 22-28 days | 81 - 85 |
| 29-35 days | 76 - 80 |
| 36 days to weaning | 70 - 75 |
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