Many people who are raising chicks for the first time are looking for an easy and affordable way to house them.
This article will show you how you can make your own chick brooder for under $30.

Here is the materials list and links to buy them online or you can find them at your local walmart or lowes.

$10 Plastic storage box. Carry thru handle provides a perfect clamping spot for the heat lamp.
The link below to walmart.com is a listing for a set of 6.  That is the only way they sell them online.
Your local store will have them available one at a time.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-10-Gallon-40-Quart-Easy-Carry-Tote-Spicy-Lime-Set-of-6/22582944

$6.50 8 1/2″ Clamp Light
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bayco-8.5-Clamp-Light/14003467

$5 Heat lamp Bulb
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/westinghouse-lighting-250w-r40-heat-lamp-incandescent-light-bulb-red?cm_vc=-10005

$6 Hardware Cloth
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mat-Mesh-Hardware-Cloth/20822625

Tools needed:
utility knife
duct tape (not listed in materials because you should have some already)
wire cutters

 

Step 1. Cutting the lid

To cut the lid you want to first score it. You score it by simply scratching the cut line and not cutting all the way through.
It is actually easier to get a straight cut by repeatedly scoring your cut lines rather than trying to cut all the way through in one pass of the knife.

Most lids have an indention or lowered area. This provides the lid more strength when stacking. Since we are not stacking the box, I will usually cut out most if not all of the lowered area.
Just be sure that your hardware cloth is larger than the hole you cut.

Step 2. Cut the hardware cloth.
Measure out the hole cut in the lid and using the wire cutters cut a piece of hardware cloth 2 inches bigger in each direction.
This will give you an inch overlap.

 

Step 3. Attaching the hardware cloth to the lid

Duct tape the hardware cloth to the lid on all 4 sides.  Note that once the heat lamp is on, the duct tape may wrinkle up.  You will just have to press it back down every now and then.
Alternatively you can use wire ties to attach the hardware cloth to the lid. To do this you will need to drill holes through the lid and then run the wire tie through the hardware cloth and lid and zip them.
This leaves the edges of the hardware cloth exposed which it can be sharp and pointy.  So we prefer the duct tape.  Using the zip ties and then duct taping the edges is the best method.

 

 

If you bought the storage box with the carry-thru handles you can simply clamp the heat lamp to the handle and point it toward the hardware cloth.
If not you will need to place the brooder close to something that you will be able to clamp the light on.  A chair or table leg work well.

For the bottom of the box, you will want to fill it with litter.  We prefer large flake pine shavings.
Not the small saw dust size as the chicks can eat it and not cedar as the oil can damage the chicks legs.
If you do not have shavings available then another option is to use fine soft hay.  Just be sure it it not pointy and rough.

For feeder and waterer you can buy them from your local feed store or you can simply use jar lids.  If using a jar lid for a  waterer you will want to put marbles or washed rocks in a jar lid to keep the chicks from falling down in the water and drowning.

It is truly that easy and inexpensive to build your own brooder.