Farmers, livestock breeders or summer residents who keep chickens often have to solve numerous problems. For example, a recently born chick needs a warm, bright atmosphere and regular feeding. In the natural environment, this is facilitated by chicken, and when kept at home, it is recommended to use a special room for birds - a brooder. It is very easy to build it yourself: at home or on a livestock farm. In this article we will take a closer look at how to make a brooder for chickens with your own hands.

A brooder for small birds is a special box or large box in which chicks are kept (up to the first 60 days of life). The name of the design is derived from the English “brood”, which translates as “to bear”. Already from the name you can understand that this device is necessary to replace the mother for the chicks - it completely performs her job of warming the animals. Newly born chicks are tested severe stress. Their incidence of illness increases, they get used to life without a hen, which is why it is necessary to make this period the most comfortable.

A properly constructed structure should include: a drinking bowl, a feeding bowl, equipment for maintaining the required humidity and temperature conditions, lighting devices, ventilation system and bedding for comfortable movement of birds. If you take into account all the operating rules of the device and the main requirements for its construction, you can make a brooder with your own efforts (using available materials).

It is necessary that the equipment has not only a comfortable temperature for small chicks, but also the correct planting density. Large chicken with good health, will grow only under ideal initial conditions.

Design Features

Every farmer who takes up keeping birds is faced with the need to equip a room for caring for them. But before purchasing or building this room, you need to know what characteristics it should have. The main design features include the following:

• The floor is only dry and not slippery. If this condition is not met, the chickens may get sick;
• If possible, make a special waste tray that will be located under the entire structure. It is necessary to remove excrement regularly, and it is undesirable to constantly disturb chickens, especially those who are not yet 50 days old;
• The device must be equipped with good ventilation, but drafts are unacceptable (newborn chicks are very sensitive to cold). It is also necessary to maintain humidity, but not allow it to increase excessively;
• The device responsible for heating should not overheat the animals. It is necessary to equip the heat source so that the chickens cannot reach it. A comfortable temperature for chicks in the first days of life is approximately 35 degrees, after a while it can be lowered to 30 degrees;
• Each livestock breeder independently regulates the size of the brooder - specific indicators depend on the materials used. The average dimensions of the device are 1.5 by 1.5 meters.

The permissible density of chicks per square meter is no more than 25 individuals. A standard “box” can accommodate an average of 50-80 one-day-old chicks.

Raising poultry is quite a profitable business if you approach it wisely. Most often grown at home chicks, ducklings and goslings. But you can raise both turkey poults and guinea fowl. It all depends on the desire and capabilities of the farmer. Many people buy chicks at markets and poultry farms, but it is best to raise young ones yourself from eggs using an incubator. To do this, you just need to purchase eggs, place them in an incubator and set the necessary parameters for temperature, air humidity, and lighting. Soon the first chicks will begin to hatch.

When chickens (ducklings, goslings) are still small, they are very susceptible to infections and temperature changes. The first weeks of the life of young animals is the most important time for the poultry owner. Chicks that survive and remain healthy from birth are more likely to grow into healthy, strong birds. To make babies without a hen feel comfortable, it is recommended to make a brooder with your own hands - a device for raising young poultry, or a “bird nursery”.

Rules for raising newborn chicks

Newborn chicks and ducklings are born very small and helpless. But they grow quickly and gain weight (especially broiler chickens), so the home for babies should be spacious . Chick brooder - perfect option. When raising young animals, keep the following in mind:

Description of the brooder and its purpose

Brooder is, essentially, a kind of nursery for chickens. Of course, you can purchase such equipment in specialized stores, but it will be much cheaper to make it yourself. You can make it from polycarbonate and other available materials. In poultry farming, a brooder is usually called a room for raising young birds, equipped in accordance with the needs of the bird. The air temperature, humidity and light intensity in the brooder can be adjusted. This is why such a “nursery” is needed:

Differences between a professional brooder and a homemade one

Professionals say that chicks that have been raised with a brood hen are better equipped to survive and are already partially adapted to environment. Such chickens can be kept in an ordinary box, and they will grow by leaps and bounds (of course, subject to proper feeding and infection prevention).

But “incubator” chicks are not at all adapted to life outside the incubator, so such babies must spend the first weeks of life in a nursery. Statistics show that the survival rate of chicks raised in a brooder is much higher than the survival rate of chicks that spent the first weeks of life in a cardboard box or other makeshift home.

With specially equipped nurseries, young animals grow much faster. The main thing is to maintain an optimal microclimate inside the brooder. If the air is too dry, it becomes difficult for the chicks to breathe. Too humid air can cause babies to get dangerous infections. respiratory tract, and such diseases usually lead to mass mortality of young animals. When too low or, conversely, too high temperature When exposed to air, the chicks lose their appetite, become lethargic, and their growth and weight gain slow down significantly. The same thing happens with a lack or excess of lighting. These parameters need to be changed periodically, depending on the weather, time of day and month.

How to make a “nursery” for chicks

The size of a homemade chicken house can vary depending on the number of chicks. Often, when there are few chicks, poultry farmers make a warm “house” for them from ordinary cardboard box, but such a primitive “dwelling” has many disadvantages. Previously, even wooden parcel boxes were used for these purposes. Therefore, experienced poultry farmers who have a large flock prefer to make a full-fledged “nursery” for babies, with heating and a mobile tray for collecting litter.

The dimensions of a brooder for 100 chickens are approximately the following: length 200, width 100 and depth 100 centimeters. It is most convenient to make a multi-tiered housing for young animals, consisting of separate “apartments”, each of which contains a certain number of chicks. One compartment can be left unoccupied so that you can place it there if necessary. sick kids. The compartments should be located in such a way that the poultry farmer can freely approach each of them for a visual inspection of the young animals. As a rule, a do-it-yourself chicken nursery consists of the following elements:

• Actually a compartment, or “cell”, in which a specific number of chicks live. There may be several such cells, depending on the number of young animals;
• Heater with adjustable power for support optimal temperature air. It is desirable that this be a device similar to a fan heater, supplying either hot or cold air, depending on the settings;
• Ventilation hole;
• Automatic feeder and drinker. If there are a lot of chickens in the brooder, several feeders and drinkers can be placed in different corners;
• Litter tray, which can be easily removed from the cage for cleaning. Then the process of cleaning the brooder will be significantly simplified;
• Infrared lamp with adjustable light intensity.

The brooder must be regularly ventilated so that the chicks get into the home Fresh air. After each feeding, any leftover food should be removed immediately. Chickens are susceptible to gastrointestinal infections, and they are also not very picky eaters and will peck at everything. Eating stale food can lead to mass mortality of young animals. The same goes for drinking water. Before filling the drinker, the water prepared for the chickens must sit for some time and warm up to room temperature.

Features of raising chickens in a brooder

The manufacture of a 150-seat brooder can be easily handled by any home craftsman who has basic concepts about the features of raising chickens early age. But babies need to be raised correctly. Many novice poultry farmers are faced with this problem: the walls of a homemade brooder very quickly become dirty because the chickens are actively defecating. The constant presence of droppings on the walls can contribute to the proliferation of dangerous pathogenic bacteria. Also, chickens kept in dirty housing have a decreased appetite and slower weight gain.

In order to solve the problem, you need to lay a strong metal or plastic tray on the floor with the walls raised by about 10 cm. Now the chickens with all the desire They won’t be able to crap on the walls. But you definitely need to put something on the pallet. You should not make bedding from sawdust: the chicks will start pecking at it and die, clogging their stomachs. It's best to use regular river sand. Kids do not perceive sand as something edible, but they enjoy bathing in it when they want to clean themselves. Periodically, as it gets dirty, the sand layer needs to be changed.

When the babies grow up and begin to roam freely outside their “nurseries,” you can install an automatic feeder and water bottle near the entrance to the brooder. This way, there will be additional space in the house for growing chickens, and the chicks will have an additional incentive to walk. When the young animals are still very small, it is best to place food and water near the glass part of the brooder so that the babies can bask in the sun while eating. In addition, it is convenient for the poultry farmer to observe through the glass the feeding process.

During walking, chickens should be given space near the brooder and fenced off. metal mesh so that the kids don't run away. The net should be high enough to prevent the cat from grabbing the chicks. During walking, the brooder door should be open so that the babies can return to the house themselves if the weather suddenly turns bad.

Raising chickens in a brooder is a fun activity that can be easily mastered by a novice poultry farmer. Main - maintain a microclimate in the brooder, in which the kids will feel as comfortable as possible. To do this, you need to have a good knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of poultry, the main features of the chicks’ body. If suitable conditions maintained, the chickens grow quickly and gain weight, delighting their owners. Also, do not forget about proper feeding of babies and regular cleaning of the home. Chickens in homemade “nurseries” grow strong and strong, and their meat has a high taste.

Attention, TODAY only!

It is a box or a fenced off part of the room. Conditions have been created inside that allow day-old chicks to replace their mother hen and help the chicks survive the stress of the first days of life. A brooder can be made with my own hands at home. In terms of its parameters, it will not be inferior to factory analogues. Poultry farmers share their experience and step-by-step instructions with photos and videos on how to implement this.

To ensure that chickens develop normally and do not get sick in the first days of life, the poultry industry came up with the idea of ​​using a brooder - the first home for the little inhabitants of the chicken coop. Typically it consists of:

• feeders;
• lighting systems;
• drinking bowls;
• devices that will control the level of humidity and heating;
• bedding;
• ventilation.

Chick brooder

The chicks live in the brooder until they are one month old. As a basis for such a device on a quick fix A cardboard box or other similar containers will also work - this is the cheapest option. But behind the apparent savings lies impracticality. Therefore, if such containers are used, it is only for one generation of chickens:

• boxes tear quickly;
• they do not fully protect against drafts;
• it is difficult to disinfect cardboard without losing its durability;
• cleaning of droppings and debris is made difficult by the design.

A good reusable brooder meets the following requirements:

1. The floor covering always remains dry and non-slippery.
2. It is advisable to equip the structure with a tray for collecting and disposing of excrement.
3. Fresh air should flow freely inside the brooder. But drafts are contraindicated.
4. Increasing humidity is not advisable.
5. The heat source should not overheat the chicks. It is better to place it in a place inaccessible to birds.

Attention! If you strictly follow the drawings and step-by-step algorithm, then even a novice master will take 2-3 days to assemble the structure.

Do-it-yourself brooder: what material will be needed

For the base homemade device You need a durable, wear-resistant material that will retain its properties under the influence of moisture, heat and light. Fiberboard and chipboard - not the best the best option for this. Plywood good quality- exactly what is needed. You will need sheets 25 mm thick and a bar 30x30 mm.

The bottom of the brooder should be made of a fine-mesh grid. It does not have to be made of metal. Just check the strength of the mesh. The width is suitable for 10 mm cells. They are wide enough to allow droppings to fall through and are comfortable for the chicks. Take the gratings for future use. They will also come in handy on box doors.

All surfaces must be easy to clean

Excrement should not fall onto the floor of the room, but into a prepared tray. It is better to make it from plastic or metal - it will be easier to clean and wash. Of the most simple options pay attention to PVC ceiling or wall panels. Also, before work, prepare:

• infrared lamps of any type;
• thermostat;
• two hinges for the door;
• self-tapping screws;
• lamp socket, wiring.

Assembling a home brooder: technology features

Dimensions future design directly depend on the number of chicks. The norm is approximately 200x100x50 cm (length-width-height). Make a design drawing, taking into account the placement of all elements. On inside Before assembling the side and rear walls, it would be a good idea to make guide strips for free movement of the grille:

1. The slats will be located at the bottom and top. The length is 2 cm shorter than the length of the side wall itself.
2. Secure the bottom strips at a suitable height, 1 cm away from the side cuts. These are the grooves for the tray.
3. The upper stripes are located 3 cm higher. These are the grooves for the grating.

Attention! Keep the distance between the brooder parts exactly. This is the key to the normal functioning of the moving elements of the box.

The next step is to attach plywood blocks to the sides. They will perform the function of stiffening ribs. The top edge of the element should be at the level of the cut side walls, the bottom should be 3 cm higher than the top rail. After you assemble the plywood sides, lattice and tray together, all the parts should form an even and stable structure.

Brooder assembly

The front opening must be covered with a plywood door. Cut out a suitable piece of material and attach it to the hinges. You need to make a window in the panel for a third of the area for ventilation. It can be located in the center or adjacent to the edge, be square or have rounded corners. Use a jigsaw for this. Close the window plastic mesh and watch the brood.

Advice. You can install a latch on the door.

Next, assemble all the remaining parts: install the removable tray and grid floor, then the ceiling. There should be no gaps between the floor and the tray along the outer walls. They can be covered with wide strips that are attached to self-tapping screws. They will prevent drafts and the spread of unpleasant odors.

Brooder Electrical System Installation

The comfort of the chicks inside the brooder is ensured by a system of infrared lamps that illuminate and warm the brood:

1. Cut a hole in the ceiling of the structure.
2. Pass the cable through it. Secure the cartridge.
3. U outside the wiring should be secured.
4. Attach a plug and a dimmer to the opposite end of the wire.

Advice. Full-fledged brooder equipment requires the installation of thermometry.

Screw in the lamp. It is very important to choose the right power. The norm is 0.28 kW per 1 sq. m. Whether you made the right choice can be assessed by the behavior of the chicks:

Place the lamp at a safe distance for the chicks

• low temperature - babies gather in groups;
• too warm - a lot of droppings and difficulty breathing;
• optimal heating - chickens eat and drink well.

Advice. A reflector attached to a lamp works effectively in a brooder. This allows you to create two thermal zones inside. The chickens themselves will be able to choose: to bask under the mirror or cool off in another place.

In the first 3 days of the chicks’ life, it is important to create a climate for them with a humidity level of about 60-70%. During the same period, the light bulb in their home should not be turned off for 23 hours a day. The work is completed by securing the drinkers and feeders. Correct assembly A brooder will help you repeatedly raise full-fledged bird offspring.

Do-it-yourself chicken brooder: video

In the first day of their short life, chickens that have barely hatched from eggs are often very weak and susceptible to external environment. Therefore, for their safety it is necessary to create a permanent comfortable temperature regime. To solve this problem, you need to make a special structure that will combine these properties. How to make a box for chickens with your own hands that meets all the requirements - this will be discussed in this article.

Box Features

First, we need to decide what size we will make such a house with our own hands, which is also called a brooder. Its volume will depend on the number of young animals that we are going to place. If, for example, 50 chickens are expected to arrive, then the area of ​​the chicken house cannot be less than 0.5 square meters. Optimal sizes it will be 1000 millimeters long and five hundred wide. A sufficient height of the structure will be 500-600 millimeters.

To make a chicken house, you can use various warm materials and insulation. And a given constant air temperature inside the structure can be maintained using an ordinary medium-power electric light bulb, which is fixed on top of the chicks.

Materials for constructing a brooder for chicken chicks with your own hands can be thick cardboard with its subsequent insulation. Ordinary plywood with a thickness of no more than four millimeters will also work, wooden blocks 20 mm thick and wide, as well as plastic. The structure can be made from almost any flat material, the only important thing is that it is warm. For example, it can be assembled from sheets of fiberboard or chipboard, nailing the material onto small wooden blocks.

Making a box

We will do the best for you simple design for newborn chicken chicks made of plywood and wooden blocks. We will fasten all the structural parts with wood screws and small nails. And to preserve heat inside the brooder, we insulate it with felt.

Tools and materials

In order to make a box with our own hands, we will need some tools and materials, namely:

1. hammer;
2. wood hacksaw;
3. plywood sheets;
4. blocks 2 by 2 centimeters thick;
5. small nails;
6. wood screws measuring 1.6 centimeters;
7. felt;
8. electrical wires;
9. 100 watt light bulb;
10. door hinges;
11. universal glue;
12. flat metal mesh measuring 50 by 100 centimeters.

Step-by-step instruction

1. We cut bars of a given length, which will later become the frame of our structure. We will need four bars one meter long and the same number of bars 0.5 meters long.
2. Then, again with a hacksaw, we cut the plywood and make from it three sheets measuring 50 by 100 centimeters and two sheets for the end parts of the box measuring 50 by 50 centimeters.
3. We assemble a frame from the prepared bars, screwing them with self-tapping screws, and using small nails we nail plywood sheets to the frame bars.
4. We fix it on top using door hinges, reclining flat metal mesh, enclosed around the perimeter in a frame of bars.
5. At the top of the chicken house we fix an incandescent lamp.
6. We glue felt on all the outer sides of the structure and its bottom for insulation.

That's all, the house for housing 50 newborn chicks is ready. We made it with our own hands.

All that remains is to install this structure on a warm bedding, turn on the incandescent lamp, cover the top with an old blanket, warm the air inside to a given temperature, pour some sawdust on its bottom or cover it with cloth, and then load newborn chickens into it.

Photo gallery

Video “Do-it-yourself brooder for chicks”

In this video, a man talks and shows in practice how he made wooden box(brooder) for newborn chicks. I recommend that you watch the plot of this video and get answers to all your questions.

Small chickens are extremely susceptible to changes in the external environment. Temperature fluctuations high humidity air, lack of lighting or draft for them - serious stress and risk of disease. The solution to the problem will be a do-it-yourself brooder for chickens made according to the drawings.

The design is not at all complicated; with certain skills and the availability of simple materials, its construction will take no more than two evenings, but the young animals will henceforth have a comfortable house equipped with a heating and lighting system for growth in the first month of life.

Features of the design of a brooder for chickens

Beginning poultry farmers often use packaging boxes, crates, or other suitable containers that are at hand instead of a real brooder. These temporary solutions are easy and cheap, but cannot be used permanently:

• due to natural wear and tear of the structure;
• due to aging of the material;
• due to the inability to carry out high-quality disinfection and cleaning between batches of young animals.

In addition, cardboard or other temporary brooders resist drafts worse, cool faster, and it is more difficult to establish the required temperature and humidity conditions in them, make quality lighting and a removable tray for collecting litter. It is also worth considering that chicks constantly need water when growing, as well as wet food at first.

Considering all the pros and cons, the poultry farmer should take care of building a chicken cage with his own hands, which has an enviable margin of safety and is equipped with:

• adjustable heating system;
• lighting;
• feeders and drinkers according to the number of chicks in the brooder.

In addition, the structure should be easy to wash and clean, adequately withstanding both the residence of chickens and these mandatory procedures.

Materials for making a brooder for raising chickens with your own hands

Repeated use of a brooder suggests that for its manufacture you should use wear-resistant, durable materials that are not afraid of either moisture or exposure to heat and light.

At home, preference can be given to plywood, a thin board up to 25 mm thick, and a 30 by 30 mm block for making a frame and other structural elements. The walls of the brooder can be made of fiberboard or chipboard, but their density and wear resistance are lower than that of high-quality plywood.

To prevent droppings and food residues from accumulating on the floor, its surface is made not solid, but lattice. The smaller the chicks, the smaller the cells of the mesh used should be. Most often, a mesh with 10 mm cells is used; the same material is useful for the manufacture of mesh parts of doors.

When droppings fall through the mesh, they must end up in a special tray. It is more convenient if it is not wooden, but metal or plastic, for which, for example, wall or ceiling panels PVC. In this case, the container is easier to clean, wash and maintain proper hygiene.

For heating, infrared incandescent lamps of various types are installed.

By providing a thermostat, you can react sensitively to changes in external conditions and adjust the temperature in the chick brooder.

Besides, home handyman you will need to stock up on self-tapping screws, a pair of piano hinges for attaching doors, electric cable and a cartridge, as well as a plastic mesh for doors.

Making a brooder for raising chickens with your own hands

Before you make a chicken cage with your own hands, it is important to calculate its dimensions, outline a diagram and prepare everything Consumables. The size of the brooder depends on the number of livestock being raised, as well as on how long they will be kept in such a comfortable cage.

For a do-it-yourself chicken brooder, the drawings should include such structural details as:

• a box for chicks with doors for access to the inside of the brooder;
• mesh bottom of the cage and a tray for collecting litter and other debris;
• box lighting and air heating system.

The work begins with cutting a sheet of plywood according to the completed drawings.

On the sides and back wall cages made from strips of plywood or timber make kind of guides for the lattice removable bottom.

For this, 4 planks are prepared equal length for the side panels and two stripes for the end. The length of such parts should be two centimeters less than the length of the brooder walls. The fastening of the lower planks is carried out along the edge of the walls, departing from the side sections by 1 cm.

When the lower strips take their places, strictly above them, at a distance of 3 cm, another strip is attached in parallel. When building a brooder for raising chickens with your own hands, it is important to accurately maintain the distance between the parts of the improvised sled. Only in this case will the removable bottom and litter tray move without difficulty.

Then, pieces of timber are attached to the sides, which are designed to play the role of stiffeners. The size of the bars is calculated so that their upper edge is flush with the edge of the side walls, and the lower edge is 3 cm higher than the top bar.

Now you can put all three sides together. The correctness of the do-it-yourself manufacturing and the drawings of the brooder for chickens is indicated by the complete coincidence of the grooves in the lower part of the structure.

The front panel is cut out of plywood, the parts are assembled according to the drawings, and hinges are attached to the sides of the frame for subsequent hanging of the doors.

Blind parts for two doors are cut out of a sheet of plywood according to the dimensions of the frame and screwed into place.

When all the parts of a do-it-yourself brooder for raising chickens are ready, you can begin installing the structure, which is completed by attaching two ceilings cut from the same sheet of plywood.

The brooder frame is assembled, but the work is not complete. Now you need to make a removable mesh bottom and a tray for receiving litter slightly smaller in size than the plywood bottom of the device. This is necessary for the free but reliable movement of the trays.

The mesh is attached between plywood slats like a frame to make the structure durable and practical.

The litter tray is made similarly to the mesh bottom, only a light, hygienic plastic panel is used as the base.

A long, wide strip is attached to the front strip with self-tapping screws, covering the gap between the mesh and the plywood bottom. It prevents debris from spilling out and reduces the spread of poultry odor.

To make it more convenient for the poultry farmer to monitor the chickens and maintain the brooder, it is useful to make mesh windows on the front doors. To do this, use a jigsaw to select central part plywood part.

A strong plastic mesh is attached to the resulting frame.

However, making a brooder for chickens with your own hands according to the drawings is not enough. For a comfortable stay for the chicks, they require a lighting and heating system connected to the electrical network.

The power and location of the lamps to maintain the temperature required for the chicks in the brooder is calculated depending on the size of the device, its location and the external conditions outside.

When ready for chicks to arrive, the box is equipped with feeders, drinkers, thermometers to control living conditions, and then warmed up. If you have to grow a large number of young animals, build multi-tiered cages for chickens.

A video on how to build a brooder for chickens using your own drawings will be a useful tool for a novice poultry farmer who has decided to independently raise healthy, strong young animals.

Chicken brooder video