New Brooder

Brooder space is in high demand and short supply lately. Baby chicks require a good amount of heat so it is necessary to have a space where a light can be hung. Usually I use some half barrels, but the turkeys didn't like that so I moved them to my one and only large brooder space.

Which meant we had to find another space for the 75 baby chicks that were to arrive soon after the turkeys. We decided to convert an entire horse stall into a chick brooder room.



Good grief. The previous occupants of this stall left it in such a mess. What a bunch of pigs.

Besides having to scoop out most of the "pig dirt" from the floor, we had to cat proof the stall. We have two lovely cats and one stray that won't go away. They would love a tasty chicken dinner. So we put chicken wire up over all of the open spaces.



This job turned out to be easier than I thought, thank goodness. Chicken wire can be tricky but we got through it with only a few scratches.

We relaid the rubber mats on the floor and threw about 4 wheelbarrow loads of sawdust on the floor.

Last, since the space is so large and the chickies are so small, my husband brought out an old satellite dish that someone had given him. We propped it up on some blocks and hung the heat lamp in the middle. This should keep the heat down where the chicks are. Hopefully, anyway.



One problem is that it is rather awkward to actually see under the dish. I have to get down on my knees to look underneath. Also, whenever I want to get in to check food and water, I have to lift the dish up and prop it with a board.

The chicks arrived yesterday morning and they seem to like their space.






Aww, aren't they so cute?