What gas brooder do I need for rearing young chicks?
Creating an optimal environment for rearing young chicks is of great importance. Especially in the first few days and weeks of life.
Type 41 gas heater
To determine what kind of brooder is best firstly determine how many birds you will be rearing. Secondly decide what brooder housing will be used. A brooder house doesn’t have to be all singing and dancing or purpose built.
But the conditions inside the building are vital.
What is the best gas heater for 800 chicks or less?
The Type 41 is suitable for up to 400 birds and the Type 81 is suitable for up to 800 birds. These heaters are also ideal for smaller brooder sheds.
Ceramic gas brooders are a very reliable solution for heating in livestock environments. Although the ceramic gas brooder is a classic design, it has proved to be very sustainable and reliable.
They remain the most suitable solution for a smaller number of birds.
Alke AP2 gas brooder
Can I use a thermostatic gas brooder for rearing less than 1000 birds?
Yes; but the Alke Globals are designed to hung at a higher height than the ceramic brooders. Therefore the brooder house will need to be big enough and well ventilated enough.
The Alke AP2, however, can be hung at a similar height to the Alke Type 81. It should be hung at least 125cm from the ground. It is also the most affordable thermostatic gas brooder that we have available.
Thermostatic brooders do come at a higher initial cost. But over time they will save you time and money!
Global 10 brooder heater
What is the best gas brooder for rearing over 1000 chicks?
The famous Alke Global design gas brooders are the best gas brooders on the market. The strong stainless steel reflector & spherical burner helps to radiate 95% of the heat efficiently downwards.
The advantages of the Global design are:
- Two spherical gas burners of special heat resistant stainless steel
- Stainless steel reflector
- Stainless steel venturi pipe
- Spherical gas burner that transmit all produced heat toward the ground
- An individual capillary thermostatic valve, measuring the temperature on floor level
- It localises the heat on the ground
- No electricity needed
- Uniform temperature, without drastic variations
- Easy maintenance (not affected by water)
The Global 5 Gas Brooder is suitable for up to 1250 chicks and needs to be hung between 140 cm – 170 cm from the ground.
The Global 10 is suitable for up to 2000 chicks and should be hung 180 cm – 200 cm from the ground.
What do keepers think?
“I’ve been a keeper for 21 years now and rearing my own birds for about 15 or so years, I started with just a few 8ft x 8ft sheds rearing 350 chicks per shed with Type 41 heaters.
“I soon moved to 24 ft x 19 ft sheds of 2000 chicks with Global 10 heaters with thermostats. These saved me a lot of time and money and have decreased my losses.”
Adam Horn, Kent Gamekeeper
“We think the Alke Global 5 brooders supplied by Collins Nets are cost effective compared to other brands. They use less gas than some others and with proper maintenance will last for years.
“We find they tend to stay alight better than some (being high pressure) and are well suited for rearing partridges.
They are also easy to clean, and keep dust free during rearing conditions. Some of the first heaters we have are well over 10 years old still going strong!”
Chris Hodgson, Ashley Game
Please contact Collins Nets for any more product information or to order: 01308 485422
Shooting UK created this content as part of a paid partnership with Collins Nets. The contents of this article are entirely independent and solely reflect the editorial opinion of Shooting UK.
