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How to Build a Brooder Box Tub

Hatching eggs, whether for a school project or as a hobby, doesn̵7;t have to be costly. One challenge is that some eggs may hatch before the others. You need a brooder box in which to place the chicks so they don't damage the remaining eggs. A do-it-yourself brooder box may be as simple as a cardboard box or as complex as a modified vanity stand. If you are hatching eggs from two or more species, you may want to make more than one brooder box to minimize fighting between the chicks.

Things You'll Need

2 cardboard boxes, 24 by 18 by 18 inches
Duct tape
Box cutter
Scotch tape
Thermometer
Square hardware cloth
Egg carton
Red chick watering station
Hanging heat lamp
Infrared heat light bulb
Pine shavings or play sand

Instructions

- 1
  Fold the bottom flaps of the first box and tape them together to form the box. Tape the 24-inch flaps first, taping them down firmly. If you fold the smaller 18-inch flaps first, soiled bedding can get underneath the fold between the two flaps.
- 2
  Inspect the seams you just taped together on the inside of the box. If gaps expose the sticky side of the duct tape, the chicks can be seriously injured. Cover any exposed areas with more duct tape. Flatten the edges of the tape so the chicks don̵7;t peck at and eat loose tape.
- 3
  Fold one of the 18-inch flaps over the 24-inch flaps on the underside of the box and tape it down. One 18-inch flap can remain loose.
- 4
  Repeat Steps 1 to 3 with the second box.
- 5
  Place the boxes open side up with the loose flap on each box touching. Using a box cutter and beginning at the top left corner of the box, cut down from top to bottom and repeat for the right side. Do the same for the second box.
- 6
  Lay the cut side of one box down inside the cut side of the other box, overlapping them. Slide them together until the boxes form one rectangular open area inside.
- 7
  Tape down the seams inside the box tightly and along each edge. The tape should be smooth and without exposed sticky areas. Tape the seams on the outside of the brooder.
- 8
  Use Scotch tape to secure a small thermometer to the inside wall of the brooder where the heat lamp will be located.
- 9
  Place a square of hardware cloth over the end of the box that will have the heat lamp. You can tape the sides of the hardware cloth over the outside of the box edges for extra stability.
- 10
  Put a 1 1/2-to-2-inch layer of pine shavings or play sand in the bottom of the brooder.
- 11
  Place the red chick watering station on the end of the brooder without the heat lamp. Set one six-egg holder on each end of the watering station.
- 12
  Set or hang the heat lamp over the hardware cloth. Setting the lamp on the hardware cloth makes the brooder mobile in case you need to move it. If you don't foresee a need to move the brooder, you may choose to hang the lamp from above the brooder box.
- 13
  Turn on the lamp a day or two before placing any chicks inside. Though the box should heat quickly, you want to make sure that the temperature stays between 95 and 98 degrees. This may require adjusting the height of the lamp and careful observation of temperatures over a period of time. Sudden drops or spikes in temperature can kill chicks of all species.

Animals & Science