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RE: How to Make an Easy to Clean and Reusable Chick Brooder
A couple of questions:
Now, drill some holes, or use your exacto, around the opening so you can attach the hardware cloth (or chicken wire, or whatever) to the lid with whatever means you desire.
Why can't you just lay whatever grating you use on top of the hole? What is the point of attaching it? Wouldn't it weaken the plastic?
Also
They get puppy pee pads until they're about three weeks old
I just started off with the pine shavings. Do you do this because it is neater or safer?
Thanks for sharing this idea and the pictures really help to understand.
Attaching he hardware cloth to the lid makes it one nice neat unit. If you have a cat or dog or whatever, then they can't get into it.
If you wanted to just lay whatever over, no point in making a hole in the lid. You could just lay it over the whole opening of the tub.
The plastic's integrity isn't really a huge factor in this case. We're just making a nice removable lid that also clips down.
I used puppy pads for a couple reasons.
I read that sometimes chicks will eat the shavings and die. Lol and I'm a worry wort. So I just took that extra precaution.
The main reason is that it's about a bajillion times easier to clean. Just roll up the pads and toss. I'm all about ease and efficiency. The easier I can make something on myself, the more likely I won't put the task off for too long.
So I guess because it's both neater and safer. :)
They had packs of 100 for $15 at a store by me, so it didn't seem like too big of an extra expense.
Thanks for such good responses, and quick too.
I use an old discarded stove rack for the lid so it is heavy and when the chicks are babies I stay with them all night in case our feral cat needs to come in to eat and then satisfy her curiosity about where those noises are coming from.
Next year I will try this since finding a good size cardboard box can be a nuisance but since I have used pine shavings successfully in the past I will do that again. My concern there is disposal of more garbage, as we have to sort out trash at the transfer station and the pine shavings with natural fertilizer can be added to the garden as mulch.
Absolutely there's more garbage! I totally get that! But I gotta make stuff easy on myself haha or I lose interest pretty quick. At least I know that about myself, and can admit it. Hahaha
Absolutely, I would definitely use a tote over a cardboardor wood box. They get soiled real quick and aren't reusable. Once I'm done brooding the ducks, I can store all chick supplies int hen until next year! :) multi use! :)
And you're absolutely welcome! And the only reason it took so long is cause you're much further ahead in time zone! Haha
This lid type would let you not have to worry about a cat or other animal get to them. There are definitely some change and I'd make for next time, but they really worked quite well, I think!
Would it be okay if I added some of your questions to my post?
Wonderful response again!
I love it that we are sharing our learning experiences (good and bad) and making the future path more easily accessible for each other and others.
I would make more pictures available but lightening strikes (too common) have wiped out our main computer system backups more than once and my images from past years are gone with the strikes despite the back up systems we have installed after each one.
Finally we have had an electrician install a whole house protector and it seems to be working; especially for this latest attack last night.
at least we got rain!
Oh, do you mind if I use some of your questions in my post?
I hope you've started storing your images online!
Yes, use them and make posts to the advantage of us all.
Older images that were lost were before we had that capability...they are gone.
Thank you!
I'm glad you at least got a good system now!