hand rearing help

[Jayesh Pancha]

i need to now how to make a home made brooder and when should i take the chicks out of the nest. i hope you can help

[Melika]

Four weeks of age would be the best time to pull them from the nest. If this is your pair's first clutch it can be great for them to raise the chicks themselves this first time.

I used to use a ten gallon acrylic fish tank for chicks, putting an electric heating pad underneath half of it (set as low as possible to still warm the bottom of the tank). This way they can escape the heat if they want. I covered the tops with towels, relatively thin ones- the chicks do need air. Clean the brooder after every feeding, having two is most helpful since you can put the chick in the clean one as soon as you're done feeding and then clean the other when you've fed them all.

But after four-four and a half weeks the chicks won't need any additional warmpth, so you wouldn't need the heating pad. Once they have their pin-feathers they'll be fine. Keep them out of drafts though.

[Jade]

I usually have my little babies in a supermarket basket. You know the plastic ones?? I just pack it with nappies - 1 or two folded on the bottom to make it padded, and another one folded so as to make a 'cave' with a little roof over the top. You can tell if the littlies are warm when you touch their beaks. If they have a cold beak, they are cold, so put in extra nappies (or towels). I'm in Queensland, Australia so maybe our hatching time is a little warmer than yours.

Hope this helps!