The best gas brooder for heating a chicken housein South Africa is the Gasolec brooder. This fantastic gas heater for chicken houses is available from Chicken Shack Agencies and is widely used (and copied) in South Africa. Chicken farmers in South Africa have trusted the Gasolec gas brooder for many years and never had problems. Other methods for heating a chicken house include electric brooders (expensive to run) and coal fired heatcos (dirty and not very green).

G12 Gasolec gas brooder

When buying a gas heater, Chicken Shack Agencies offer full service and back up and spares for the imported Gasolec gas brooder. For use in broiler houses, layer houses and breeder house, the gas heater made by Gasolec is the best heating solution for warming a poultry house. The heater is generally used for keeping the poultry house, or a portion of the poultry house warm for day old chicks. A brooding curtain is hung across a section of the house so that gas is not wasted heating the whole structure. The heater is placed about 1.5m above the shavings before the baby chickens arrive – usually about 24 hours before. The min max thermometer is hung at the height of the chicks head (this is where the temperature should be about 33 degrees Celsius). Warm the section you have curtained off until the the shavings are warm to touch – and when you dig your fingers into the wood shavings – your temperature for placing baby broiler chickens is now ready. The day old chicks will now move in and out of the hot spot ( an area under the heater, as they need to. If the chicks are bunching up under the heater it means that they are not warm enough – if you do not have enough heaters in the area t means that they will cramp up to each other, and in some cases on top of each other. Add another heater – they are in danger of suffocating each other. Check that your house is sealed and that there are no gaps allowing cold air into the house – but make sure they have enough oxygen to breathe. If the day olds are pressing up against the outside of the brooding area – against the walls, trying to get away from the heat – it means that it is too hot – raise the heater to 1.8m and perhaps increase the size of the brooding area. If the chicks are climbing on top of one another, they are again, in danger of suffocating each other. The chicks, in a properly heated and ventilated brooding area should be scattered around and moving in and out of the heated area at will. Make sure the babies have plenty of water on the day that you place – this is the most important thing after heating – they will be dehydrated after sitting on the deliver vehicle most of the day.

Once thaye have taken on water you can encourage them to eat. This can be done by scattering the feed on top of sheets of news paper – then tap on, and scratch the paper – the babies, being naturally curious, will investiagte and begin eating. Once a few have found the chicken feed the others will soon follow. Gas brooders and gas heaters for chicken house come in two sizes – the size depends on the area you want to heat up and how many chickens you have. Heaters for poultry and heaters for chickens are not the same as the units you would buy to heat your porch – these are not commercial and are not meant to run 24/7. Heater running on gas to heat a poultry house should be put away after you have finished with them – wipe them down with a damop cloth, clean the filter and jets and store somewhere dry and safe - do not leave them in the chickens  house – they will get filthy and carry disease.