How To make a home made brooder

[atvchick95]

There are many ways of doing it. But This is how mine is and it is my 2nd version of a home made Brooder and I like it much better than my 1st

Items needed

• Fish Tank( I use a 10 gallon)
• Lid with wire mesh over top
• Heating Pad
• Thermometer
• Blankets/Towels
• Newspapers
• Paper towels

Steps to take getting the brooder Ready

Lay a blanket or towel down on a flat surface - such as a Sturdy Table

Place the heating pad on one end of the blanket

then cover the Heating pad either with another towel/blanket or if the one you are using is big enough with the rest of the blanket/towel

Then sit your fish tank on top of it with one part of the tank resting on the heating pad

Place your screened lid on top

Then attach your thermometer - there are a few different kind this is just one I happen to use(my heating pad is not turned on so that's just the temp of it w/out heat being generated to it)

Then cover the top with another towel/blanket

It is very important to get the Brooder to the right temperature Before adding the baby - I'll be adding a chart at the end

As for bedding - Mine changes on the age of the babies

When they start out small there is a couple different ways to house them inside the brooder

If they are very small you could use a plastic bowl lined with paper towels and sit the bowl inside the brooder

some people use the plastic small critter carriers as well


Line the bottom of the tank with several sheets of newspaper, You can leave it at that or I like to then add a few layers of Plain white Paper towels - this keeps the ink from the newspapers off the birds and makes for a easy clean up

Since I do breed and I know when I am pulling babies I make sure I turn the Heating pad up to get the proper temperature the night before I pull the babies then the next day when it is at the correct temp I put it on Low/Medium to keep the temperature where it should be

Make sure the baby can not get the full heat off the Heating pad, this is why several layers of paper is important

they can lay on direct heat and burn their self

Here is a Chart for what the temperature of the brooder should be for different ages of babies

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

I also have a version of this only using a cage instead of a tank, If any one would like that posted Just let me know

the concept is the same only it's a Cage.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

thanks for sharing

 

[Jorg S.]

Thank you so much, this is very helpful.

 

[srtiels]

A cheap styrofoam incubator can be converted into a brooder.

 

[MBS]

The heating pad I have turns off so I keep having to turn it back on throughout the night. I'm using this to keep a sick bird in so he can stay warmer. How do I keep the temperature up without having to wake up every couple of hours throughout the night? Thanks.

 

[Shae'sSeveres]

Im preparing for (hopefully) three baby severe's, will a ten be big enough?? also how much of tank is on the heating pad?

 

[Greycloud]

About 3/4s of the pad under the tank. The 10 gallon is fine for now but you will have to upgrade probably to a large Rubbermaid container. Do you know how to handfeed? Temp, amount, consistency?

 

[Shae'sSeveres]

Yes Ma'am, mommas just finished laying has been sitting for about 4 days so im just getting a head start on everthing and figuring out what im gonna do. Wondering if i should make one myself or just cave and buy one.

 

[KatherinesBirds]

This brings to mind my first attempt at making a brooder waaaaay back in the early 1970's. I studied everything I could find on the subject which wasn't much. I ended up with a shoe box, a goose neck lamp with a 40W bulb, a couple wash cloths in the box, a small bowl of water and a thermometer. I covered the box about 3/4 of the way and put it all inside of an old wooden drawer to protect it from drafts. I remember that I even included a wet washcloth when I had eggs inside. Wow, I was lucky things went right.
If you can, find a brooder or an incubator used or new. After awhile I saved and got myself the ones I still use today. I still get up at night to check everything even though I know it will be fine.

 

[Zara]

When setting up a homemade brooder it is important that you have;
-the correct temperature
-the correct humidity
-aspen shavings filling 4 inches or so (tip them in, and lightly press them) Do not use cedar or fine pine shavings.


Some more links for information on how to set up a brooder;

General information about brooders; What are they and what are they used for;

The Science of Handfeeding and Weaning the Baby Parrot

SECTION ONEThe Basics of Handfeeding and Weaning

theparrotuniversity.com

How to make a brooder using a critter keeper;

How To Make A Home Made Brooder

Even if you don't breed birds, You may need this for a hospital cage until you can get your beloved bird to see an Avian vet. There are a few different ways online on how to make one I've Tried a few...

kmbreeding.weebly.com

How to Setup a Brooder for your Baby or Sick Parrots

High quality brooders for baby and sick parrots can be expensive and complicated, but in a pinch can also very simple and inexpensive. We received this inquire from Nihan in Turkey (2014). Hi from…

theaviatorharness.wordpress.com

Hagen; Information on housing birds;

Psittacine Pediatrics: Housing and Feeding of Baby Parrots - Hari

Introduction Hand-feeding baby birds is an vital part of any successful aviculture operation. Psittacine eggs that are artificially incubated or babies pulled from their parents

hari.ca

 

[Laurie]

I would add just a couple more thoughts.

It is very important to find out the proper temperature for brooding your particular species of bird, it will not necessarily match the chart provided above. You should seek out this information from someone who raises the species you are taking care of.

The importance of humidity can not be overstated. A chick's ability to digest its food is dependent upon the proper temperature AND humidity. Generally speaking, the higher the temperature is the higher the humidity should be. An inexpensive hygrometer will give you peace of mind in knowing that you have achieved the proper humidity.

Humidity is a result of evaporation so to increase humidity you need to increase the surface area of the water you are trying to evaporate. A small dish of water can provide some humidity but if you loosely wad up a some soaked paper towels and place them in the dish of water all the little peaks and dips created by the folds in the paper towel will increase the amount of water that can evaporate and will create more humidity, faster. If you can find a replacement wick for a humidifier you can use that instead of the paper towel.

Proper humidity should be 50% or more depending on the species. If you live in a humid area without air conditioning or heat then you may not need to add humidity but if you live in a dry area or are using dry heat or air conditioning then you will need to pay close attention to humidity levels.

Low humidity can cause dehydration and lead to slow crop or crops stasis in chicks.

Finally, all water sources must be thoroughly cleaned, regularly, to prevent bacterial growth.

 

[Tinabell]

The heating pad I have turns off so I keep having to turn it back on throughout the night. I'm using this to keep a sick bird in so he can stay warmer. How do I keep the temperature up without having to wake up every couple of hours throughout the night? Thanks.

They have heating pads for dogs and cat’s. They stay on until you turn them off and have different temperature settings.

 

[taxidermynerd]

They have heating pads for dogs and cat’s. They stay on until you turn them off and have different temperature settings.

This post is from 2010,and this member hasn't been here since 2011. I don't think they will see your post.

 

[Tinabell]

This post is from 2010,and this member hasn't been here since 2011. I don't think they will see your post.

It’s ok, it’s in case someone new finds this in hopes it might be helpful.