# Going to make a DIY brooder!



## bear2491 (Feb 26, 2011)

Hi! I haven't been around for a while, but spring is fast approaching and my part of the world is quite warm....so breeding season is also approaching fast. 

I HR my first clutch of 2 last year, aged 2 and 7 days old respectively. Now, last year I borrowed my uncle's Brinsea Egg Incubator and used it as a brooder as the heat pad I bought to place under my old aquarium didn't heat up enough. The incubator was great, perfect temp and ventilation and I used the top of the incubator on the aquarium when the babies were bigger - again it worked GREAT. 

Problem is, the incubator isn't mine and they are incredibly expensive (I've since found out! The way I was handling that thing wasn't gentle either!) 

So I want to make my own brooder, and I've got the idea, the equipment we sell at my work but I need to get opinions from other breeders on whether or not it would work (I'm pretty confident) 

So my idea is to use either an old aquarium (volume is 14 litres) or a sturdy carboard box (input appreciated here!)
Then, I would use a ceramic heat emitter as my heat source - this heat source does not emit any light, so if I need to quickly pull very little babies again, I won't hurt their eyes. This link shows the exact ones I have at work - I would be using the smallest wattage - 
http://www.ultimatereptiles.com.au/specials/product-specials.html?page=shop.browse&category_id=11

And the emitter would be plugged into this Microclimate thermostat that my boss is kindly going to lend to me - http://www.ultimatereptiles.com.au/...o_VaMazing_2.tpl&product_id=18&category_id=73

It also has the ability to dip the temperature at night, if I wished my babies to experience a "night" temp drop - probably not. My babies were constantly at one temp last year. 


My only thought is that if I'm going to use an aquarium (which is my preference) I may need to upsize...14L is big enough for 2 babies but maybe not the heat set up as well. It needs to be portable, they'll be coming to work with me again, just like last year. 
I can get glass aquariums 35L-65L easily enough, any size recommendations? 


Thanks


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## bear2491 (Feb 26, 2011)

I suppose no one telling me not to do it can be a positive thing?


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

Keeping the temperature constant and some relative humidity is all that's required. You could wire a simple red bulb light to a thermostat and have the makings of a brooder. A ceramic heater might work, but avoid the cardboard box they're difficult to keep clean and can harbor bacteria.


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## bear2491 (Feb 26, 2011)

Thanks for the input  
Constant temp will be easy, the humidity I think I can manage easily enough...I live in a very humid place and I know how to make a brooder humid if necessary. 

Only reason I was thinking ceramic heater was because their lifespan is longer, and there is no light emitted. 
That said, I really don't care if the bulb lasts longer, because I have easy and relatively cheap access due to getting the supplies at cost price. 

I will get a larger aquarium too - thank you. I saw boxes being used for chickens, but then again chickens are far more developed at hatching time than a tiel.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I think that the lack of replies is because there aren't many people here who have experience with DIY brooders. My personal observations with my birds indicate that if you have several babies together, they don't need brooding once the oldest one is about a week old - that's when the parents stop sitting in the nest and let the chicks keep each other warm. Most people don't pull chicks for handfeeding until they're old enough that they've stopped clumping together for warmth. The need for a brooder really comes in when you have to pull one or more young babies because the parents aren't taking proper care of the chicks, and I've never had that problem.


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## bear2491 (Feb 26, 2011)

tielfan said:


> I think that the lack of replies is because there aren't many people here who have experience with DIY brooders. My personal observations with my birds indicate that if you have several babies together, they don't need brooding once the oldest one is about a week old - that's when the parents stop sitting in the nest and let the chicks keep each other warm. Most people don't pull chicks for handfeeding until they're old enough that they've stopped clumping together for warmth. The need for a brooder really comes in when you have to pull one or more young babies because the parents aren't taking proper care of the chicks, and I've never had that problem.



I suppose, and the threads I did search for, used heat mats which I've chosen not to because of my failure with it last year. 

I had to use a brooder last year, the 2 I pulled were not meant to be until 2 weeks of age but I found 2 dead in the nest and 2 left alive and their faeces were not nice, if I had left them I have no doubt where they would have ended up. 

I'm always one to be prepared, and even if the brooder doesn't get used as much as last years one, at least I'm prepared to take little ones on again - I found it not that hard really!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Good for you! It isn't a subject that I've researched much, but apparently many people have had good results with homemade brooders. But when it comes to the practical details of what to do and what not to do, there probably aren't too many people on this forum who can help you due to lack of experience. I'm certainly useless, but if I ever had a situation where I had to pull a young chick I'd be researching like mad to get information on homemade brooders. There's no point spending a lot of money on a store-bought brooder if you aren't planning to use it regularly; but even more important than that, there aren't many pet shops that stock this equipment, and people who need something in a hurry are pretty much forced to put something together using supplies that they can pick up off a store shelf that same day.


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## bear2491 (Feb 26, 2011)

maybe I can post of my experience once this is all over and there will be some more info for those who may need it. 

It will also be a help as I work in a pet store, so people coming in needing help will have someone to talk to who's been there before.


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## bear2491 (Feb 26, 2011)

Ok so I'm sort of bumping this thread up as my brooder is up and running, and working great so I thought I'd share a photo and update!

I pulled the first two babies on Saturday night, and if all my eggs hatch (there were 4 more left) I'll have eleven soon! After just having 2 babies last year, it's a big jump but I can't wait. 

So my brooder is a glass aquarium, can't recall how many litres though. It's about 40cm long. 
My heat source is a ceramic heat globe in a reptile globe holder that reflects the heat down. This is plugged into a thermostat which is doing a great job of keeping the bubs warm - the temp does drop at night (can't help it as when it's dark the "magic eye" senses that and turns the heat down automatically! but it's still as warm as I want it. 

The photo is not the clearest sorry! The towel is also wrapped around them a bit more normally, so the light isn't full on constantly. 


And a photo of the beautiful mumma who's been doing a stellar job


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

I use my home made incubator in the first pic for brooding anywhere from the first few days to a week since it has a relatively high air exchange rate and better temperature control. Then move them to the brooder in the second pic for the second week as its temp is lower around 80 degrees. By the third week I can put them in a cage on their own and start weaning by encouraging them to eat food.

The brooder I own uses an aquarium heater in a setup similar to a double-boiler with water between the two containers being heated and warming the container above. If I ever get any large clutches though I'll rewire my brooding light to a thermostat and put the chicks in a cage. But for now, this setup serves my purposes.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

They look so beautiful







the mom looks like my sunny


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## bear2491 (Feb 26, 2011)

thanks  I'm so in love with them...they've started making little chirps too, as well as the hungry cry, it's gorgeous. 
I have a soft spot for all lutinos (and a special clear pied that I thought was a lutino for over 10 years), they seem the sweetest.


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