Just wanted to add that you can also use an old wooden picture frame if you can't build your own frame. Just removed the glass if it is there and whatever is on the back of the picture frame (cardboard, etc.) and then staple the hardware cloth on and viola!
Because of dimensions of wood, I'd use flat L brackets instead of screws through the end of so narrow a board, it won't split on me. Also b careful of wire on mesh that can cut chick's legs
That’s a great idea. I stopped using brooders with shavings all together. I use a rabbit cage that includes an easy to clean removable tray. Zero wet stinky mess. Food and water spills to the bottom tray. Chicks stay clean at all times. I just use cardboard around the outside to insulate and cut a new door in the top of the cage and put a piece of smaller hardware mesh on the bottom if needed. Brooder light can be placed right on the top of the wire. Much less fire hazard. Tractor supply has a kit with tray, feeder, and water bottle. Chicks can easily be taught to use the water bottle too making that job of clean water even easier.
If you're not particularly handy (like me) I imagine you could use a thrift store picture frame as the base. I will try this with my next batch of chicks.
Thanks for tuning in, when the baby chicks start getting larger we upgrade them to a taller frame. Our brooding process has been much simpler less maintenance now! 😊
It amazes me to see a great idea like this, even after 10yrs of raising chickens myself. We also start our farm store pullets in a plastic tote for the ease of cleaning. But our chick bedding always ends up in the food and water! Thank you for a short, to the point video without talking about the weather and how your dog barked at the mailman today, or your sister in law blah blah blah! 🤣👍🐤
@@SPCLPONY haha thanks! We try to make all our videos short, to the point and as getting the information out there. Kelly the other half of this channel has been raising chickens her whole life, born on a farm and it has really changed our lives. She was amazed she never thought of this and used to use an upside down plate or brick, which really didn’t work either. When they get larger at about 2 weeks old and more rambunctious we upgrade them to a frame that’s taller (2 inch)
@@SPCLPONY Yes, what SPCLPONY says! "This is 'Oreo' our cat...we call him Oreo because he's black and white". OMG, just cut to the chase! This video was great, thank you.
My baby chicks keep jumping out of their bin, they jump on top of the brooding plate then jump out and poop all over the place. How have you guys fixed this problem? I'm a noob to baby chicks so please be understanding lol
Now I just feel stupid! This is the biggest problem for me, cleaning shavings out of water, ugh. Brilliant! Ya just saved me a bunch of time and trouble:)
I was just thinking about a solution to the chikn poo shavings in my brooder box today. It's terrible. I have to dump the water 3x daily. I like this idea! Definitely seems do-able and an easy solution..
You rock! Just finished watching your video on how to build a brooder and stumbled upon this video. This solves my least favorite part of baby chicks! THANK YOU!!!
Wow thank you ❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 you just solved my concern about the feeders and drinkers ❤ because of your video I'll definitely get extra points for going above and beyond for my school project 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💃💃💃💃🙌🏽🙏🏽
I recently just switched my chicks bedding to sand because of this reason. The rascals still kick sand into their water but it just settles out and I clean it out when I refill their water. But this idea could also be good accompanied with the sand. Been making my chickens as low maintenance as possible.
We use construction grade sand in our walk in chicken coop and our runs. Also for our grow out pen brooder for older chicks. Keeps the feet so clean and also very easy to clean in general. We love it! Haven’t thought to use them in indoor tote brooders. We actually use hemp now and do the deep litter method. We will never use pine again. Pine gets so stinky instantly. The hemp lasts 4 weeks without cleaning it out and is so absorbing and neutralizes all odors. Takes the chore out of brooding! If we don’t use a feeder/waterer with legs in our outdoor brooders we have build a larger version of this to go under them, made out of 2x2s. Works like a charm for any size poultry!
@@spaceninjasteve3356 if you ever wanna try it we have a link and code in the video description. It’s more expensive than pine but makes up for it because it lasts way longer. Even our hen house where we use hemp deep litter has zero odor and smells good
@@BockBockBouquet ooh nice! I have another batch of chicks ordered for June already, might be a good time to try it with them. Thank you for the responses mate
Never! We also make the edges land on top of the wood frame and not overhanging. We also use hardware cloth on top of raised bed gardens to grow grass for our older ladies and also have never had injury
I raised my feeder and waterer up on bricks. This prevents shavings. My problem is the chickens want to roost on top of the waterer and feeder so they poop while up there. How do you fix that?
I have the same problem so I might try to make some kind of cone shape, either out of cardboard paper or something then tape it or some how attached it on top of the feeder/waterer. I have not done it yet, have been very busy. Let me know if it works if you try it.
This is so simple, yet so effective. Even more with the combination of a quail waterer, we haven't had to clean out our water in almost two weeks. Just refill and good to go!
If you're feeding out meat chickens may I suggest using kalmbach 22percent start to finish meat bird all natural it is a phenomenal feed have had our chicks 2 weeks weight chart on internet says average weight than is .85pound our s were averaging 1pound 4ounces and we've only lost one chick out of 72
I am getting my first set of baby chicks next week! I was so happy to see this video. But I did want to ask, have your chicks ever gotten their little feet stuck walking on this?
Thanks! It’s literally the best thing we’ve ever done that saves us so much time. We’ve had these chicks for a few days now and we still haven’t had clean it out.
We still use to this day, I wouldn’t change anything. Works really well! We do have a stage two for when they get a little bigger and all I did was build it but with the wood standing vertically instead of flat. So then it’s 1.5 tall instead of 3/4” tall like in this video.
Oh we didn’t know that. We’re all bound to have similar ideas though, we saw this on our friends over at Cog Hill Farm and thought it was brilliant. We shout them out in the video. Been using this for years now with success. And we brood many chicks all season long. We upgrade the chicks to a tall one once they get larger. My whole life I used to just set the water on a paver/brick or hang it. And I never had as much success that with this. This is truly the best option
We had 17 in a tote like this for just a few days, before my husband built a big wooden broader yesterday, taller sides and a lot more space, soon it will have a screen top because they will start being able to fly out in a few weeks, they can probably stay in there for a few weeks before they need a bigger box or coop
Thank you! This works WONDERS for us, this frame and the combination of the quail waterer work amazingly well. Let us know how it works out for you and your chicks!
Just a quick question should we shut the light out in the brooder, we have a radiant brooder heater, but we weren't sure if we should leave a light on for the baby chicks...thank you
Hello they will be fine with just the radiant heater and no light supplemented if there is natural day light in the room. If it’s a room without windows then I would supplement light to give them a day. Just natural daylight hours is fine. It can be dark at night, they just need heat not light. We will be posting a video shortly answering detailed questions just like this on how to raise baby chicks up to their first egg as laying hens. Stay tuned ❤️
Yes, Ricardo is correct in saying the chicks are ok with daylight turning to dark naturally. Darkness won't hurt them. I would like to add, after years of raising chickens, a heat lamp in one corner of the pen will not hurt them as long as they have room to get away from too much heat. If you see the chicks sleeping in the opposite corner, your heat lamp is probably too close for them. Also, be sure your lamp has the porcelain base, not the plastic one. It can melt causing a fire.
@@SPCLPONY couldn’t have said better myself! We are actually uploading a video shortly all about this and how to ween them off of heat properly. Even with a small batch of chicks, brooder should still be large enough for them to escape the heat source. Too much heat can cause pasty butt. They are not always under a broody hen, they venture out to eat and drink so we should try our best to mimic nature
We spray it off with the hose nozzle on jet or full. If it’s really stubborn we scrub with dish soap on a sponge. We do this as needed maybe twice a week. Let dry in the sun
@@cheryldahl9192 You can find totes in a variety of sizes at any Walmart. It doesn't have to be the biggest one either, just big enough for the chicks to pick a corner to sleep in away from a heat lamp if one is used. If it's cold, they'll sleep under the lamp, but if they get too warm, they'll move until they're comfortable.
We just put chicken nipples onto a square plastic container with a cap. no more water in anything, you just fill the container- the chicks learn to use the nipples in about 5 minutes. GAME CHANGER!
Good idea... but the problem i have is chicks sitting on top the water container and pooping in the water. yuck... Recon i'll live with it now that chicks are 6 weeks old and will be moving on to the hanging water bucket with nipples soon.
Did any of you chicken purchasers give any thought to the baby boy chicks who got ground up alive so you could be sure to only get hens? Probably not because you aren't really 'animal lovers'.
Okay I literally watched one second of your video. Do you think that people are so stupid that they need more than a picture to recreate what you did? Oh wait I forgot everyone is pretty stupid so you better keep the video. All you need to do is lay a few non pressure treated boards down. That way you don't have a metal Grid to pick poop out of. With the board you just scrape it off. Or you can simply suspended and give them a landing all around it to stand on while they eat and drink. My chicks bird food stays in the container and chips stay out of the water. People need to start thinking
Just wanted to add that you can also use an old wooden picture frame if you can't build your own frame. Just removed the glass if it is there and whatever is on the back of the picture frame (cardboard, etc.) and then staple the hardware cloth on and viola!
Good idea! Especially because I have the wire allready. And the saw is put up until my husband can take it out.
Brilliant idea !
@@SueBHoney-cq8co Thank you!
Interesting idea!
Thanks for the idea!
Because of dimensions of wood, I'd use flat L brackets instead of screws through the end of so narrow a board, it won't split on me. Also b careful of wire on mesh that can cut chick's legs
That’s a great idea. I stopped using brooders with shavings all together. I use a rabbit cage that includes an easy to clean removable tray. Zero wet stinky mess. Food and water spills to the bottom tray. Chicks stay clean at all times. I just use cardboard around the outside to insulate and cut a new door in the top of the cage and put a piece of smaller hardware mesh on the bottom if needed. Brooder light can be placed right on the top of the wire. Much less fire hazard. Tractor supply has a kit with tray, feeder, and water bottle. Chicks can easily be taught to use the water bottle too making that job of clean water even easier.
Great set up!
If you're not particularly handy (like me) I imagine you could use a thrift store picture frame as the base. I will try this with my next batch of chicks.
You just solved the biggest issue I've been having in my incubating process. Thank you.
Thanks for tuning in, when the baby chicks start getting larger we upgrade them to a taller frame. Our brooding process has been much simpler less maintenance now! 😊
It amazes me to see a great idea like this, even after 10yrs of raising chickens myself. We also start our farm store pullets in a plastic tote for the ease of cleaning. But our chick bedding always ends up in the food and water!
Thank you for a short, to the point video without talking about the weather and how your dog barked at the mailman today, or your sister in law blah blah blah! 🤣👍🐤
@@SPCLPONY haha thanks! We try to make all our videos short, to the point and as getting the information out there. Kelly the other half of this channel has been raising chickens her whole life, born on a farm and it has really changed our lives. She was amazed she never thought of this and used to use an upside down plate or brick, which really didn’t work either. When they get larger at about 2 weeks old and more rambunctious we upgrade them to a frame that’s taller (2 inch)
@@SPCLPONY Yes, what SPCLPONY says! "This is 'Oreo' our cat...we call him Oreo because he's black and white". OMG, just cut to the chase! This video was great, thank you.
My baby chicks keep jumping out of their bin, they jump on top of the brooding plate then jump out and poop all over the place. How have you guys fixed this problem? I'm a noob to baby chicks so please be understanding lol
This was so simple. How did I not think of this? Thank you!
😊😊
Now I just feel stupid! This is the biggest problem for me, cleaning shavings out of water, ugh. Brilliant! Ya just saved me a bunch of time and trouble:)
Ay! I wish I'd known this when I had my baby girls making a total mess of the brooder. 😃 Thanks so much for the video.
I was just thinking about a solution to the chikn poo shavings in my brooder box today. It's terrible. I have to dump the water 3x daily. I like this idea! Definitely seems do-able and an easy solution..
It works so great for us we hope it does for you as well
Oh God bless you!!! I absolutely hate cleaning pine shavings out of water continually and you have saved the day; thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Omgosh I wish I saw this when I had chicks! Ingenious.
GREAT suggestion! It's so simple I can't believe I never thought of this haha
This makes perfect sense. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
We thought it was brilliant when we saw it on their channel. Works amazingly well for us every season we get new chicks!
You rock! Just finished watching your video on how to build a brooder and stumbled upon this video. This solves my least favorite part of baby chicks! THANK YOU!!!
Thank you!! This was a life changer for us, the difference in cleanliness is crazy!
We use an old tennis racket, does the same job
Perfect! I have one of those collecting dust in my garage!
Just put it in, and it's working perfect
@@gabec2494 Hey hey hey...we have those collecting dust in our garage too so will try it TODAY!!! THANK YOU😁.
What about a cooling sheet pan?
I just made one today thanks to you and Cog Hill Farm! W🎉😊
Wow thank you ❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 you just solved my concern about the feeders and drinkers ❤ because of your video I'll definitely get extra points for going above and beyond for my school project 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💃💃💃💃🙌🏽🙏🏽
I recently just switched my chicks bedding to sand because of this reason. The rascals still kick sand into their water but it just settles out and I clean it out when I refill their water. But this idea could also be good accompanied with the sand. Been making my chickens as low maintenance as possible.
We use construction grade sand in our walk in chicken coop and our runs. Also for our grow out pen brooder for older chicks. Keeps the feet so clean and also very easy to clean in general. We love it! Haven’t thought to use them in indoor tote brooders. We actually use hemp now and do the deep litter method. We will never use pine again. Pine gets so stinky instantly. The hemp lasts 4 weeks without cleaning it out and is so absorbing and neutralizes all odors. Takes the chore out of brooding! If we don’t use a feeder/waterer with legs in our outdoor brooders we have build a larger version of this to go under them, made out of 2x2s. Works like a charm for any size poultry!
@@BockBockBouquet never tried hemp before, I'm sure one of these days I'll get around to trying it though!
@@spaceninjasteve3356 if you ever wanna try it we have a link and code in the video description. It’s more expensive than pine but makes up for it because it lasts way longer. Even our hen house where we use hemp deep litter has zero odor and smells good
@@BockBockBouquet ooh nice! I have another batch of chicks ordered for June already, might be a good time to try it with them. Thank you for the responses mate
@@spaceninjasteve3356 of course! You’ll notice the difference immediately lol
My new box will have one soon. Thanks for the help
Quick question, making this right now. Have you ever had chicks cut their feet in the cut edges?
Never! We also make the edges land on top of the wood frame and not overhanging. We also use hardware cloth on top of raised bed gardens to grow grass for our older ladies and also have never had injury
I raised my feeder and waterer up on bricks. This prevents shavings. My problem is the chickens want to roost on top of the waterer and feeder so they poop while up there. How do you fix that?
I have the same problem so I might try to make some kind of cone shape, either out of cardboard paper or something then tape it or some how attached it on top of the feeder/waterer. I have not done it yet, have been very busy. Let me know if it works if you try it.
Really good idea this, we're always getting shavings in the water bowl!
This is so simple, yet so effective. Even more with the combination of a quail waterer, we haven't had to clean out our water in almost two weeks. Just refill and good to go!
Placing bricks or 4/4 blocks under the water bowl works just fine.
@@XenoRaptor-98765 yeah that was always our method, the water would still end up soaking through and making wet shavings on the brooder floor tho 😕
You are bloody brilliant
Haha thank you! We won’t set up a brooder without one of these now, brooded hundreds of chicks this way with great success
Hubs just built 2 for me,great idea!😁
You’re gonna love it!
Thanks for tip , Great video. Going to use for my laying hens water area also.
Thank you! We have built a bigger one of these with 2x2 for the laying hens when we don’t hang the waterer, works very well
I wish I new this before 😳. Make a lot of sense. Thank you!
This works so amazing for us! We won’t brood without
If you're feeding out meat chickens may I suggest using kalmbach 22percent start to finish meat bird all natural it is a phenomenal feed have had our chicks 2 weeks weight chart on internet says average weight than is .85pound our s were averaging 1pound 4ounces and we've only lost one chick out of 72
Gave you a like just because you mentioned CHF
Love them
I am getting my first set of baby chicks next week! I was so happy to see this video. But I did want to ask, have your chicks ever gotten their little feet stuck walking on this?
I just built one and got my chicks this morning my holes are a bit bigger and they still manage to scurry across it just fine :)😊
Thank you Lee!
I would like to know more about the hay box brooder ...
Very smart.... Thank you..
So smart!! We will be making this ASAP!
Awesome! This little trick works wonders!! Let us know how it works out for you!
Good idea
Thanks! It’s literally the best thing we’ve ever done that saves us so much time. We’ve had these chicks for a few days now and we still haven’t had clean it out.
Good video Ricardo! Thank you.
Thanks a lot! We are currently using it right now as we got baby chicks a couple days ago again
Very clever!! After using it for a full brooding round, are there any changes you'd propose to the original design?
We still use to this day, I wouldn’t change anything. Works really well! We do have a stage two for when they get a little bigger and all I did was build it but with the wood standing vertically instead of flat. So then it’s 1.5 tall instead of 3/4” tall like in this video.
I saw it on Justin Rhodes' channel :)
Oh we didn’t know that. We’re all bound to have similar ideas though, we saw this on our friends over at Cog Hill Farm and thought it was brilliant. We shout them out in the video. Been using this for years now with success. And we brood many chicks all season long. We upgrade the chicks to a tall one once they get larger. My whole life I used to just set the water on a paver/brick or hang it. And I never had as much success that with this. This is truly the best option
Have a great weekend
Thank you too!
Nice addition. I'll use this for sure. Thanks
It works perfectly, the only thing we do is build a taller 2 inch one when they are 2 weeks old. Since they are taller and more rambunctious
Thank you! Making this today!
You’re very welcome, it works wonders! 😊
So simple and efficient! Thank you so much!
Use tin snips on hardware cloth, its way faster
Lovely!
How long do you keep your chicks in that plastic tote and how many do you brood in that one tote?
We had 17 in a tote like this for just a few days, before my husband built a big wooden broader yesterday, taller sides and a lot more space, soon it will have a screen top because they will start being able to fly out in a few weeks, they can probably stay in there for a few weeks before they need a bigger box or coop
Ricardo! Thank you!! LOL
Thank you for sharing. That will be a game changer!
It works so well for us hope you get good use of it as well!
Building this after work tonight!
Hope it’s been working out for you well 😊
Amazing!! Thanks!!
What size screws did you use thank you
2.5 inch screws are good for this project
Nice idea.
You have the best videos, thanks
Thanks so much Mark, glad you enjoy our videos!
This is great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! This works WONDERS for us, this frame and the combination of the quail waterer work amazingly well. Let us know how it works out for you and your chicks!
Just a quick question should we shut the light out in the brooder, we have a radiant brooder heater, but we weren't sure if we should leave a light on for the baby chicks...thank you
Hello they will be fine with just the radiant heater and no light supplemented if there is natural day light in the room. If it’s a room without windows then I would supplement light to give them a day. Just natural daylight hours is fine. It can be dark at night, they just need heat not light. We will be posting a video shortly answering detailed questions just like this on how to raise baby chicks up to their first egg as laying hens. Stay tuned ❤️
Yes, Ricardo is correct in saying the chicks are ok with daylight turning to dark naturally. Darkness won't hurt them. I would like to add, after years of raising chickens, a heat lamp in one corner of the pen will not hurt them as long as they have room to get away from too much heat. If you see the chicks sleeping in the opposite corner, your heat lamp is probably too close for them. Also, be sure your lamp has the porcelain base, not the plastic one. It can melt causing a fire.
@@SPCLPONY couldn’t have said better myself! We are actually uploading a video shortly all about this and how to ween them off of heat properly. Even with a small batch of chicks, brooder should still be large enough for them to escape the heat source. Too much heat can cause pasty butt. They are not always under a broody hen, they venture out to eat and drink so we should try our best to mimic nature
@@BockBockBouquet That video sounds great. and I will subscribe so I don't miss it! Thanks again!
My hubby made one such a game changer
We won’t brood without these now 😊
Love y'all's videos!!!
Thanks so much for tuning in!
Thanks great idea
Great job!! Saw your post on Instagram and had to check out your video! Glad I did 🌼
Awesome! Thank you for checking it out!! Welcome to our channel! 🐔❤️
Dang! Solves the problem!
This works so incredibly well for us, we don’t brood without one
Love this idea!
Thank you! 😊
No issues on their little feet walking on the wire or on the edges where it’s stapled?
We recently just got chickens and I wish I would have found this channel sooner there's so much great content! Thank you! New subscriber here 👍
Aw thanks so much! Welcome to our channel 😊😊 good luck with the new babies 🐔
Thank You
😊😊
This is brilliant, thank you.
Hope it works well for you!
This solution is great. Unfortunately i have no idea how to work without all this hardware
thanks we hope this can work out for you too!
VERY smart 👏 great tip to share!
Thank you, we have to share this with the world so people can stop having headaches over shavings in the water
Wow, make it harder than it needs to be.
Superb work love it
Hope this works great for you too!
@@BockBockBouquet in sha ALLAH thank you
Where can I find a plastic tub like that, I’m starting to hatch chickens and I need something for a brooder
We got this 50 gallon rubber made tote from Lowe’s or Home Depot
Can I use puppy pads instead of pine shavings?
No we don’t recommend that as they could bite off small pieces and it could be harmful to them
Brilliant
Love it thanks so much just what I needed ❤
Could you just use an elevated price of ply for them to walk on ?
We like this as it is not slippery, has good traction for their feet and poop can fall through grate
What’s the best way to clean it after the chicks poop on the edges?
We spray it off with the hose nozzle on jet or full. If it’s really stubborn we scrub with dish soap on a sponge. We do this as needed maybe twice a week. Let dry in the sun
Hey, nice video! What is the best website to order chicks? I’m trying to find a trustable site. Thanks!
Thank you! We have used Murray Mcmurray, my pet chicken, Meyer & Cackle hatcheries we would recommend
What size tote is that?
It’s a 50 gallon we got at Lowe’s. It was the biggest we could find and it was luckily on sale ☺️
@@BockBockBouquet that's smart. They're expensive.
@@cheryldahl9192 You can find totes in a variety of sizes at any Walmart. It doesn't have to be the biggest one either, just big enough for the chicks to pick a corner to sleep in away from a heat lamp if one is used. If it's cold, they'll sleep under the lamp, but if they get too warm, they'll move until they're comfortable.
Clever!
Thanks a lot! This works really well for us
We just put chicken nipples onto a square plastic container with a cap. no more water in anything, you just fill the container- the chicks learn to use the nipples in about 5 minutes. GAME CHANGER!
Perfekt 👌🏻
This makes brooding for us so easy and less maintenance, hope you try it out too 😊
Can you buy this online? I don’t have the equipment to make this. This is called a chick brooder frame?
I am not sure but maybe you can figure out something similar with household objects. We use a paint roller tray and grate for our ducks brooder
What size screws are you using?
Either like a 1 3/4 or 2 inch screw would work well
Clever
Good idea... but the problem i have is chicks sitting on top the water container and pooping in the water. yuck... Recon i'll live with it now that chicks are 6 weeks old and will be moving on to the hanging water bucket with nipples soon.
Have you had any problems with the chick's catching their toes in the mesh?
We never have, and we have raised many chicks with these
@@BockBockBouquet cool thanks I'm fix'in to build one and give it a go.
Doesn’t work still shavings in the water
For the newborns we zip tied hardware cloth to the bottom of a plastic bottle...this is what we are doing next
U need new blade
I was working with what I had, I do have a new saw now lol
This didn’t work for me :(
Was it too small? We build a taller one up on the 2inch side of a 1x2 when they get older and it works phenomenally
I’m going to put heavy duct tape over the cut wire. Just in case.
Did any of you chicken purchasers give any thought to the baby boy chicks who got ground up alive so you could be sure to only get hens? Probably not because you aren't really 'animal lovers'.
We actually have a lot of roosters here on our property and absolutely love our boys just as much. Anything else?
Okay I literally watched one second of your video. Do you think that people are so stupid that they need more than a picture to recreate what you did? Oh wait I forgot everyone is pretty stupid so you better keep the video. All you need to do is lay a few non pressure treated boards down. That way you don't have a metal Grid to pick poop out of. With the board you just scrape it off. Or you can simply suspended and give them a landing all around it to stand on while they eat and drink. My chicks bird food stays in the container and chips stay out of the water. People need to start thinking
Thank you