How to make a brooder for turkey poults

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In order for turkey breeding to go with a bang, it is worth starting to take care of the bird from the very beginning. This is also worth doing because turkeys are considered one of the most capricious and sickly birds. They are diagnosed with a lot of diseases, including colds, and more serious ones. To protect yourself, you need to create conditions for the bird in which it will be as comfortable as possible. In the matter of raising and keeping young stock, there are two ways of development - natural rearing or artificial. In the first case, a turkey hatches the chicks, in the second, a brooder for turkey poults is used, which can be made with your own hands, it is about him that will be discussed further.

Brooder for turkey poults

How does a brooder for turkey poults work?

Let's start our story with what the word brooder means. It came to us from the English language and literally means "hen". Externally, a brooder for turkey poults and chickens looks like a wooden box for keeping poultry, in which it actually takes place rearing of young animals poultry. Moreover, these are not only turkeys, but also chickens, and goslings, and quails. However, such a device cannot be called just a box, because it has ideal conditions for the chicks to live. What elements are included in the brooder:

• Constant light source, which is so necessary in the absence of natural light
• Automated feeding systems, where food is supplied on demand, drinkers are arranged in the same way
• In do-it-yourself brooders, a system for removing poultry excrement is provided; for this, a special pallet is developed into which all turkey droppings are poured
• It is extremely important for young chicks to stay warm, for this brooders are equipped with heating systems

In commercial brooders, which are made in mass production, everything is thought out to the smallest detail, you just have to pay a rather big amount of money for this device and install it for growing poultry. Of course, not every farmer, especially a beginner, has that kind of money, so on the Internet you can often find search queries “how to make a brooder for turkey poults yourself with your own hands”. Let's say right away that this is not too difficult and does not require any special knowledge or the use of complex technologies from you.

Even if you use inexpensive and affordable materials, but at the same time strictly follow the drawings and instructions, in the end, you will get no worse do-it-yourself brooder, in which the turkey poults will be comfortable and cozy. Usually, all the materials are already in stock, especially if you plan to place a future brooder for raising chicks in a private house, say, in a village or in a country house.Next, we will tell you in more detail about what materials you need to make a cage or a house for chicks with your own hands.

Materials for making a brooder

It is recommended to prepare the materials in such a way as to take into account the presence of a mesh floor, that is, a mesh. Based on the feedback from poultry farmers, this is the most convenient option, as all excrement will fall through the holes in the mesh. In addition, it is recommended to take care that the brooder is not too heavy, since most likely in the warm season you will take small turkeys out into the sunlight, this has a positive effect on their health.

Now let's move on to a description of what materials will be needed to work on a do-it-yourself turkey house, we list them in the table:

Let's say right away that it is strictly forbidden to use old wood, for example, overlaid wooden boxes or the remains of furniture. The fact is that damp wood is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which can later become the cause of turkey poultry disease. And no amount of disinfection will help destroy pathogenic bacteria to the end, no matter how many times you do it.

The first thing to do is find a suitable example of a device that will fit your requirements and fit in size. On the Internet you can find a lot of examples of brooders for making with your own hands with the most detailed description. Or, if you wish, make and develop it yourself.

We draw up a drawing of a brooder

As mentioned earlier, you can take into work the previously developed drawings of a brooder, both for chickens and goslings, or make your own with your own hands. If you settled on the second option, it is worth considering some of the requirements for this kind of devices. The first thing worth talking about is the stocking density. In farming, there are standard recommendations, where no more than 25 pieces can be located in a 40 by 40 centimeters brooder. It is not recommended to deviate from this figure, otherwise, small turkeys may freeze or they will be cramped.

As for drawing up a drawing of a cell, it is depicted in the form of a diagram. It is still recommended to take as an example the already drawn up drawing of a brooder for keeping chicks and make your own cage on its basis. It is important to take into account the fact that, unlike other poultry, turkey poults grow quite quickly. If we were talking about making a brooder for chickens, then its height would not play such a role. This suggests that it is better to refuse low brooders. The standard recommended wall height is about 55 centimeters, while fluctuations are allowed upwards, but not downwards.

Direct production of a brooder

Brooder is not very difficult to make

We will describe the process of making a brooder with our own hands for turkeys or chickens in stages. It is worth starting with the preparation of all materials and tools, this was written about earlier.

1. Take the prepared plywood sheet and use a saw to cut it into two equal parts.For a brooder, it is recommended to take a standard sheet of one and a half meters in length and width. You can see in more detail how exactly it will be used in the future in video and photo lessons.
2. The resulting two halves of plywood will become the walls of the future structure, the rest will be needed later in the manufacture of the ceiling, floor and back wall of the brooder.
3. Then proceed to the assembly of the direct frame, for this you will need fasteners - screws, corners and self-tapping screws
4. It is better to use a mesh with small holes, the most successful is the option with cells measuring 1 by 1 centimeter. The mesh is fixed with wooden slats.
5. As mentioned earlier, the floor should be mesh, but the pallet itself, in which excrement will accumulate, is recommended to be made of plastic, this material is perfectly cleanable and is considered durable
6. Consider heating lamps in the design of the brooder; for this, farmers use infrared lamps. Although in its absence, ordinary incandescent lamps with a power of at least 60 watts will do, they are also a source of heat, albeit not so strong.

Start the DIY brooder making process with a skeleton. The fate of the entire structure will depend on how well it is executed. Therefore, you should not save on it, it is advisable to study exactly how it should look in video or photo descriptions.

It is recommended that two chick doors be cut into the front wall of the brooder, although more are allowed if you wish. If you prefer the standard recommendations, then the drinker and feeder will be located opposite the door inside the cage. Farmers are now increasingly placing feeding and watering equipment outside, although some find this inconvenient.

Now let's move on to the part where the wooden box turns into a modern comfortable house for keeping small turkeys. It's time to install lamps and other upgrades.

Requirements for brooders

When making a house for chicks, you need to take into account absolutely all the requirements, the only way you can be sure that the percentage of bird survival will be high. Let's list the most important ones:

• In no case do not give up the lamps, as without them the temperature in the brooder will not be high enough and the turkey poults may freeze
• In addition to infrared lamps, it is recommended to add a special heat-retaining film to the project, which helps maintain the desired temperature in the brooder. You can buy it in a hardware store or use life hacks that folk craftsmen offer, for example, insulation and heating with foam or polycarbonate. You can find such tips on the Internet.
• Feeders for adult birds should not be installed in the chick house, as chicks will receive too much food, which will lead to obesity and other health problems. Thus, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the age of the chicks.

Other important design features

In no case should one neglect the condition that the turkeys need warmth, a lot of video clips have been filmed about this. Therefore, try to create conditions under which the turkeys will be in a temperature of about 24-26 degrees. Moreover, in the first days, day-old chicks need a higher temperature - you need to keep them in temperature conditions of about 28 degrees, as in incubator... It so happens that an ordinary incandescent lamp cannot give such a temperature, that is, the heating is insufficient.

In such cases, you can use ordinary heating pads, they can be both electric and water, while the first option is, of course, preferable. In addition, try to use all the same infrared lamps and mirror options for heating.

Whichever type of lamp you choose, it should in any case be installed at the top.Also consider the fact that chicks need warmth 24 hours a day, so there should be no power outages.

Features of the device of drinkers and feeders in a brooder

In order for the bird to gain weight, it is important to feed her accordingly with her needs. For this reason, it is worth paying due attention to drinking bowls and feeders. The better and more thoughtful they are, the better, both for you and for the chicks.

You can purchase ready-made designs, which is preferable, or try to make them yourself. For the latter option, you will need materials such as tin sheets and wood.

When making drinkers, it is important to take into account that the water flows in dosed and that the water is fresh. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the liquid does not spill onto the floor, as this will disturb the cleanliness in the brooder. Please note that a wet turkey will lose temperature faster, and therefore may get sick and even die later, which is why it is so important to think over the temperature regime in the brooder.

As mentioned earlier, it is recommended not to save on the purchase of drinking bowls and feeders, not to make them yourself, and still purchase ready-made devices. Arriving at the store, you will find a huge selection of ready-made drinkers. A completely logical question will arise, which one to choose? We recommend choosing a nipple drinker, based on the reviews, this is the most successful option for young chicks. With its help, it will be possible to maintain clean water and prevent bacteria from multiplying in it. If we compare a nipple drinker and a vacuum one, which is also in demand among farmers, then the latter is inferior for the reason that it needs to be washed and disassembled more often.

Summing up our story about brooders for turkey poults, let's say that this is an ideal option for temporary placement of chicks. You can buy ready-made designs or use our advice and make a brooder yourself. Do not worry, homemade for chicks will be in no way inferior to the purchased one, and you can save a significant amount of money. Moreover, now you know that making a brooder with your own hands is not at all difficult.