Lessons Learned
I was really happy with my brooder from last year, and if I'd known that I'd be hatching again so soon, I would've saved it, but now I'm glad I threw it out because it gave me a chance to build something bigger and better! Here are the lessons I learned from the old brooder, and the improvements I made to the new one.
1. Go Bigger
Last year I had more chicks hatch than I expected to (shipped eggs), plus a friend gave me some eggs to hatch for her along with mine, and I ended up with a lot of chicks. The brooder wasn't small, but they still outgrew it quickly, and we had to move them out even though we would've loved to keep them in the house longer than those 3 weeks, and cuddle them whenever we want
So this year I went bigger. A LOT bigger. Plus I was planning on fewer chicks, so that would give them even more room. Last year I started out with 15 and 4 went back to my friend, leaving me with 11. This year I'm starting out with 11, 6 of which will go back to that friend again, so I'll have 5, in a space that's much bigger. So I'm hoping to keep them with us for at least a month. Also, this time I'll save the brooder when I'm done with it. I love this experience so much that this couldn't possibly be my last hatch 
2. Kick Guard
In my last brooder, I left what I thought was a tall enough margin of cardboard along the bottom of the walls to keep the sand in. Turns out, it wasn't enough. The chicks' favorite spot to dust bathe was right by the door, and they'd kick a bunch of sand out. This year I made the kick guard twice as tall. So we'll see if that's enough.
3. Hinges
Last year the whole brooder was cardboard except for the door, and I didn't want to bother putting reinforcements to add hinges, so I used zip ties for the door instead. They worked okay. Allowed the door to open and close, but I had to keep realigning the door because it would shift a bit. It was annoying enough that this year I used proper hinges. Worked better because I have a wooden frame now, and could just screw them in.
4. The Ugly Cord
Last year I had the cord of the heated blanket snaking up along the corner of the back wall and out through the top of the brooder. It's in every cute picture of the chicks and it looks UGLY!!! So this year I cut a hole in the cardboard behind the plate and pulled the cord out through that. Now you can't see it at all!
5. Better Bungees
This isn't really about the brooder per se, but the brooder plate. Last year I had these big a$$ bungees that were too thick, long and clunky. I had the two ends hooked to each other on top, so I put a second board on top of them to hide them and protect them, so the chicks wouldn't poop all over them. It was ugly. This year, I have a much more elegant design. Just a single board, with the heating pad underneath, and skinny, short bungees with small (but still sturdy) hooks. The bungees are the exact size of the board and hook to its edges instead of to each other over the top. So you can barely see them! That, plus the stabilizing blocks for the legs, and the hidden cord, and I'm a lot happier with my brooder plate setup now.
1. Go Bigger
Last year I had more chicks hatch than I expected to (shipped eggs), plus a friend gave me some eggs to hatch for her along with mine, and I ended up with a lot of chicks. The brooder wasn't small, but they still outgrew it quickly, and we had to move them out even though we would've loved to keep them in the house longer than those 3 weeks, and cuddle them whenever we want
So this year I went bigger. A LOT bigger. Plus I was planning on fewer chicks, so that would give them even more room. Last year I started out with 15 and 4 went back to my friend, leaving me with 11. This year I'm starting out with 11, 6 of which will go back to that friend again, so I'll have 5, in a space that's much bigger. So I'm hoping to keep them with us for at least a month. Also, this time I'll save the brooder when I'm done with it. I love this experience so much that this couldn't possibly be my last hatch 2. Kick Guard
In my last brooder, I left what I thought was a tall enough margin of cardboard along the bottom of the walls to keep the sand in. Turns out, it wasn't enough. The chicks' favorite spot to dust bathe was right by the door, and they'd kick a bunch of sand out. This year I made the kick guard twice as tall. So we'll see if that's enough.
3. Hinges
Last year the whole brooder was cardboard except for the door, and I didn't want to bother putting reinforcements to add hinges, so I used zip ties for the door instead. They worked okay. Allowed the door to open and close, but I had to keep realigning the door because it would shift a bit. It was annoying enough that this year I used proper hinges. Worked better because I have a wooden frame now, and could just screw them in.
4. The Ugly Cord
Last year I had the cord of the heated blanket snaking up along the corner of the back wall and out through the top of the brooder. It's in every cute picture of the chicks and it looks UGLY!!! So this year I cut a hole in the cardboard behind the plate and pulled the cord out through that. Now you can't see it at all!
5. Better Bungees
This isn't really about the brooder per se, but the brooder plate. Last year I had these big a$$ bungees that were too thick, long and clunky. I had the two ends hooked to each other on top, so I put a second board on top of them to hide them and protect them, so the chicks wouldn't poop all over them. It was ugly. This year, I have a much more elegant design. Just a single board, with the heating pad underneath, and skinny, short bungees with small (but still sturdy) hooks. The bungees are the exact size of the board and hook to its edges instead of to each other over the top. So you can barely see them! That, plus the stabilizing blocks for the legs, and the hidden cord, and I'm a lot happier with my brooder plate setup now.
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