Brooder Tote vs Stock Tank for Chicks
Where chicks spend their first weeks. Space per chick, draughts, escape and the point at which every brooder gets outgrown.
The short version
A stock tank is the better brooder for anything more than a handful of chicks: smooth high walls chicks cannot climb, no corners for them to pile into and smother, and enough floor area to hold a real temperature gradient. A tote or pop up brooder is cheap, stores flat and is fine for a few chicks in the first week or two, but it is outgrown fast. Whichever you use, the important thing is not the container but the gradient: chicks must be able to walk away from the heat, and where they sit tells you whether you have it right.
At a glance
| Pop Up Chick Brooder Starter Kit | Rubbermaid 100 Gallon Stock Tank | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor area | Small | Large |
| Holds a temperature gradient | Barely | Yes |
| Corners chicks can pile into | Yes | Rounded, safer |
| Escape proof as chicks grow | No, they fly out | Longer, then needs a lid |
| Weeks of useful life | One to two | Four to six |
| Storage when empty | Folds flat | Bulky |
Choose the Pop Up Chick Brooder Starter Kit if…
A small brooder is fine for the first week with a few chicks, and it is easy to set up indoors where you can watch them. Expect to move them out quickly, because chicks grow fast, produce a surprising amount of dust, and start flying at two to three weeks. Keep it out of draughts, put a secure cover on before they can fly, and make sure the heat source and the food and water are far enough apart to give the chicks a choice.
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Choose the Rubbermaid 100 Gallon Stock Tank if…
A stock tank gives chicks room for a proper warm end and cool end, which is the whole basis of brooder management. Rounded corners matter, since chicks piling into a square corner smother each other. Add a wire lid once they start flying, keep bedding dry especially around the waterer, and raise the waterer on a block to reduce splashing. Plan the move to the coop for around five to six weeks, or when they are fully feathered.
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Related
Comparison based on published manufacturer specifications and the general consensus of owner reports. We have not tested these products side by side. Confirm current specifications and prices before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reviewed in detail
If you have narrowed the decision to one product, we go through it in detail here: Rubbermaid 100 gallon stock tank brooder review and RentACoop heating plate review.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature does a brooder need?
The traditional guidance is about 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the warm zone for the first week, reduced by roughly five degrees a week until chicks are feathered. With a radiant brooder plate the chicks regulate themselves by going under it when cold, which is closer to how a hen works. Either way, watch the chicks: huddled under the heat means too cold, pressed against the far wall panting means too hot, and spread out moving around means right.
Are heat lamps safe for a brooder?
They work, and they are also responsible for a great many house, garage and barn fires, because the clip fails or a chick knocks the fitting and the bulb touches bedding. A radiant brooder plate runs far cooler, mimics a broody hen and lets chicks come and go, and it is the safer choice. If you do use a lamp, secure it with a chain and a second independent fixing, never just the clamp.
When can chicks go outside?
Generally at around five to six weeks, once they are fully feathered and night temperatures are reasonable, with a gradual introduction rather than a straight swap. Move them into a secure coop with no heat if the weather allows, and integrate them with an existing flock slowly, through wire for a week or two first. Chicks introduced abruptly to adult hens get badly bullied and sometimes killed.
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