Greenaus' big home made brooder

greenaus · **Posted:** Mon Jul 27, 2009 12:56 am

I grabbed 2 x $15 desks (with drawers, but without would maybe be even better) from Lifeline.

I tipped them on their sides, one drawers-down, the other drawers-up.

I set up three ex-table lamp sockets, the two outside ones on a single dimmer switch.

There is a 60w globe in the middle, 100w in each of the outside sockets. Those will be dimmed as time goes on, hopefully creating a gradual decrease in temperature as the chickens age.

Photos below...and yes, those are smoke detectors. This brooder is under our huge old wooden house, with three light bulbs hanging over a lot of wood shavings.

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Edit: In addition to the materials already discussed, it has a $5 damaged door from Lifeline above one side and a couple of sheets of timber boards which I "picked up" for free.

Ann@Nanango · **Posted:** Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:07 pm

Looks great Charles.

I reckon you could keep an army of chicks in there.

Love the dimmer switch idea. Have thought about that one, but unsure how to go about it. Is it just a normal dimmer switch (wall switch) arrangement?

Great idea with the smoke alarms. Did you test them (while you were upstairs in bed?).

You could always sleep downstairs with the chicks.

We've just snitched the light from our babies which were born on 12 June, they're fully feathered and in the laundry during the night so should be OK (covered with cardboard and towels at night).

Any suggestions for keeping debris out of the waterer you have? I find it goes really smelly after a day or two.

Thanks for sharing.

Ann

greenaus · **Posted:** Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:21 pm

The dimmer switch is just a regular wall plate one. 10 Amp rated. Arlec brand.

Short answer to the query about hearing the smoke detectors: I might hear them. I might not. There should never be a fire. Better to have the possibility there of a warning than no warning at all.

Longer, typical greenaus answer: :-?

I stay up quite late into the morning, often in front of the computer which is nearly above the brooder. My wife gets up a few hours after I go to bed. Our bedroom is the next one over from where the computer is.

I can't guarantee 100% that we'll hear the smoke detectors, especially if we're both asleep, but it is better to have them just in case there is a fire and we do hear them. I've got them primarily to buy some time in the event of a fire (smoldering wood shavings at first). Time to put it out before it kills all the chickens and gets big enough to cause any serious damage to the brooder.

There are both types of smoke detectors in there, for fast and slow burning fires. There are also smoke detectors upstairs including one directly above the brooder.

I hear the incubator alarm when I'm asleep and there is just as much distance and barriers (walls/floors/doors, etc) between us and the incubator as between us and the brooder.

bunyanuternie · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:31 pm **Posts:** 2903

It's huge , well done greenaus

I reckon I'll have to see if Backyardbarny can put dimmers in mine ,and I love the smoke alarm idea .

julie at serenity · **Posted:** Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:21 pm

[quote="Ann@Nanango"]
Any suggestions for keeping debris out of the waterer you have? I find it goes really smelly after a day or two.

hi all,

Yes Ann, I have thought the same thing, at present, I just empty it, I am thinking about trying to somehow raise the waterer

julie at serenity · **Posted:** Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:22 pm

Oops

BTW the brooder is great :!:

Peter16 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:39 pm

One of your best works yet.

I enjoy reading about your diy antics, ideas and failures...oh and successes :-D

greenaus · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:20 am

Peter16 wrote:

One of your best works yet.

I enjoy reading about your diy antics, ideas and failures...oh and successes :-D

And now that we have a camera with sound recording (8.2MP for $109 delivered) you can see the brooder complete with sound and a narrator. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCncDS1xPnw

At some points in the recording it sounds like I have something other than my neck stuck.

I really don't like my voice. :-?

You may also notice the fourth bulb I added. It's one of those candle shaped 40w bulbs I got in the 2pks from Coles for $1/pk. It's been in for 3-5 days...maybe longer, time goes so fast. I just realised most of these chicks are TWO weeks old and I referred to them as week-old chicks in the video description.

Edit: Dial-up users are advised that the the best way to watch is to hit the Pause ( || ) button as the video starts to play and then wait until it loads completely before hitting PLAY. ( > ).

greenaus · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 1:39 am

And, here is another brooder video I uploaded to YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4sEnqLQ2SE

Dial-up users are advised that the the best way to watch is to hit the Pause ( || ) button as the video starts to play and then wait until it loads completely before hitting PLAY. ( > ).

Peter16 · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:20 am

you could easily hang the globes a little lower and in terracota pots. and use the heat method b&p uses. That way its not day time 24/7

and it works quite well.

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