Do-it-yourself brooder for chickens: how to make a cage, drawing with dimensions, device

Little chickens are worse than adult birds adapt to changes in environmental conditions. Temperature fluctuations, increased air humidity, lack of lighting and other negative impacts create stressful situations and increase the risk of disease. A DIY brooder for chickens helps solve problems.

Types of brooders and their main characteristics

The brooder is a device for rearing and heating chicks in their first weeks of life. Placing broilers in a brooder is not a prerequisite, but greatly simplifies the process of keeping and allows you to raise he althy chickens with high productivity.

Designs can be divided into 2 types: portable and stationary. The use of the first option is common in private backyards where a small number of chickens are raised. Stationary structures are often installed in industrial poultry farms, where the volume of poultry bred is much higher.

Requirements for brooders

Chicken housing must meet a number of requirements. In particular, these include:

1. Strength. The floor inside must be strong and able to withstand the stress of bedding, equipment and chickens. The roof must be securely fixed so that it does not fall from the wind or other influences.
2. Favorable microclimate. Inside, fresh air and a comfortable temperature regime should be maintained. It is also important to exclude blow-through and loud operation of the equipment.
3. Fitting density. Depending on the free space, you need to calculate how many chickens should be placed on one square so that the chicks do not interfere with each other.
4. Equipment. Various equipment for heating, feeding and other assistance will need to be placed inside the house, so sufficient space should be provided.

Justification of sizes

A universal brooder is considered to be 1 m long, 35 cm deep and 45 cm high. This design is designed for approximately 30 chickens. If it becomes necessary to breed 50 chickens or more, you can build a house up to 70 cm deep and 1.5-2 m long. For ease of cleaning and maintenance, it is recommended to place structures at a height of 80-110 cm from the floor. As a rule, the largest structures are designed for a maximum of 100 chicks.

Materials

To make your own brooder for keeping chicks, you need to prepare a set of building materials. For the construction of the structure you will need:

1. Oriented Strand Board 9 mm thick. The material can be treated with a primer and oil enamels, it can be easily sawn with an electric jigsaw and a circular saw.
2. Polycarbonate leaves for facing the house. Hollow panels have internal stiffening ribs and are covered with a protective UV layer.
3. Penoplex for thermal insulation of the structure, which is especially important when located outdoors.
4. Plywood 6-8 mm thick, usually made in the form of sheets. If necessary, a smooth surface can be coated with waterproof paint or clear varnish.
5. MDF-plates in the form of panels with a thickness of 8-10 mm. The dense material is suitable for outdoor use when primed.

Drawings

Before proceeding with the direct manufacture of the structure, you need to prepare detailed drawings. The diagram indicates the dimensions and name of the building materials used, the exact dimensions of the finished structure, the height of placement, the presence of additional elements.In addition to the drawings, a cutting map is formed, and then blanks for the main parts of the brooder are made using special equipment. Drawings must be drawn up regardless of which chicks will be raised in the house - daily or weekly.

Criteria for choosing a finished structure

Speci alty livestock stores offer a wide variety of prefabricated buildings. When thinking about acquiring a design, you need to consider several criteria. Including:

Estimate the dimensions of the structure. Depending on the number of chickens, you need to choose a brooder of the appropriate area. Space is especially important when keeping fast growing broilers.

1. Inspect and check the condition of the floor. The surface should not be slippery to avoid injury to the paws of the chickens. The best option is the presence of a plastic mesh with compartments.
2. The presence of a second bottom. A special drawer at the bottom of the structure is required to collect waste and excrement.
3. Availability of feeders and drinkers. Chicks should always have access to water and feed, so separate feeders will need to be installed if they are not available.
4. The condition of ventilation and heating devices. All internal equipment must be in good working order. Modern varieties of brooders are equipped with air conditioners and automatic heaters.

How to make a DIY brooder

There are many ways to make your own brooder. If you want to build a structure, you need to prepare materials, tools, draw up drawings and act according to one of the proven methods. The main requirement is that favorable conditions for breeding chickens be created inside the finished building.The use of crates, containers and boxes for keeping young animals is not recommended, as it is difficult to create a suitable environment in them.

Preparation of materials and tools

To carry out the work, you will need to prepare a standard set of tools and materials. Depending on the chosen method of building a brooder, the need for some tools may disappear. It is recommended to prepare the following accessories:

• circular saw or jigsaw;
• roulette;
• hammer;
• screwdriver;
• pliers;
• nails, screws, self-tapping screws;
• marking pen.

Construction stages

During the manufacture of the brooder, it is enough to follow the step-by-step instructions. A common construction option involves the following steps:

1. First of all, a frame is constructed from a bar. The easiest way is to make a base for the top and bottom areas, and then connect the elements using perpendicular bars.
2. Lumps made of timber are attached to the lower and upper parts of the frame.
3. Wall and floor blanks are cut out of the plywood sheet. Details are attached to the frame using self-tapping screws and nails. The front wall is covered with mesh.
4. The legs are prepared and fasteners fix them on the frame.
5. Build top doors out of plywood. To do this, cut out a segment suitable in size and fasten it with loops on the frame. The design can open like a chest, or have 2 doors.
6. Inside the structure, a grid divided into cells is laid, lighting and heating devices are installed.

Lighting and temperature conditions

In the first days of the chicks life, the ambient temperature should be maintained at 30-32 degrees, then gradually lowered to a level of 20-22 degrees. Heating and lighting inside the brooder can be performed with using infrared lamps. Lamps emit light and dissipate heat. The disadvantage is that the air dries out, so you will need to put a cloth soaked in water inside and maintain the humidity within 55-70%.

You can also use standard 15-50W incandescent bulbs for heating. A brooder with such heaters is easier to regulate even without installing a special thermostat. The heating level and lighting intensity are controlled by reducing or increasing the supply voltage.

Arrangement of a brooder

In addition to the heating equipment, additional elements must be installed in the bird brooder.Even the simplest design must be equipped with ventilation to circulate fresh air and eliminate unpleasant odors. Also, an integral part of the device are feeders and drinkers, which are recommended to be equipped with LED lighting, which operates in the dark. Deep containers should not be used as drinkers, as chickens can choke in them. The best option is nipple drinkers with a built-in drop catcher.

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