Amferro103's Homemade Chicken Brooder

By: amferro103

Posted 5/1/10 • Last updated 5/1/10 • 49990 views • 28 comments

HomeMade Brooder

After deciding we were hooked on hatching we decided

to build a durable brooder that we could us over and over.

We decided to make it in 2 sections that could be taken

apart for cleaning.

We first built the bottom section, using 2 sheets of

4' x 8' exterior plywood.

The bottom measures 60" long x 34" wide and 14" deep.

We screwed the box together for added strenght.

We then built the upper portion of the brooder.

We used 2" x 2" x 8' lumber. 8 Pieces in all.

The top we made just slightly smaller than the bottom so that the top could

fit inside the bottom box without any gaps.

The top and sides we used 1/4" mesh wire and the opening front door we used 1/2" wire mesh

so that the visibilty would be better.The top portion measures 28" tall.

We started the slope for the door 19" from the back.

One thing we did to keep a tight fit between the top and bottom is that the 2x2 that goes around the perimeter

of the upper portion. We made sure half of the 2x2 was below the edge of the lower box and the other half of the 2x2 was above

the edge of the lower box.

The front door runs the full lenght of the brooder.

It is attached at the top by 4 hinges.

Once the 2 bottom and top are constructed

you can just drop the top right into the bottom and you have a 2 piece

brooder that is really easy to clean and with the large front opening you have

great access to the inside of the brooder.

It took took 2 full days to construct just because of the tight fit we tried to acheave between the top and bottom.

It really needs to be very square. That takes time.

Over all it cost about $125.00 to construct.

It adds up quick!!!

Link to BYC

Comments (28)

rsleghornchicki 1/16/12 at 2:25pm

I like this brooder. I am hatching to. What kind are those chicks?

ChickensAreSweet 1/27/12 at 10:47am

That is a nice brooder. You could use it as a cold frame too- if you needed one- if you put plastic over it!

mkeawsh 1/30/12 at 7:44pm

I made this one last year from your instructions and it is the best.

Leanco 2/6/12 at 9:16am

Nice brooder are those wyandottes?

GuineaLady93 2/9/12 at 6:47pm

I love this brooder! It looks Nice!

karmlacres 2/13/12 at 5:51pm

I love the style of this brooder. We are using it as a model for ours with some adjustments to fit our space and budget. We just got the material today and the first modification is we bought one sheet of plywood. We ripped two 12" strips from it. These will become our sides @12" high. This left a 2x8 strip which we will cut down so that our base is 2'x4'. That's as far as we've gotten so far. I plan to have an insert in the bottom with 1/4" hardware cloth on it so the chicks are on the wire mesh instead of the plywood. It will fit in the bottom of the box and removed easily. We intend to have this outside so we will paint it with barn paint (something we have on hand). We need to figure out something to weather-proof everything since it will sit outside. On cold and wet days, we need to have protection - probably will use a tarp. Oh, I'm going to have a chain to hang my light from. This will allow me to adjust my light height for heating needs. We are less than $30 into this with the lumber and hardware cloth.

I love your brooder! Thanks for posting pictures and information!

Canimia 2/18/12 at 2:32pm

This is the brooder I want to make. With a few adjustments, but still. This is amazing. Thanks for sharing!

4H Amy 3/9/12 at 9:56am

Nice Brooder! I am so jealous, I use a large Rubbermaid box with some wire cloth connected to a wooden frame on top. Thanks for posting the pics and measurements.

Tammy N 3/10/12 at 8:44pm

I am begging for my other half to make me one of these after i use it as a brooder i can also use it for my Salad garden and Veggies .
What a useful Idea thank you so much for sharing .

brianw258 3/15/12 at 4:09pm

Nice job and attention to detail. I'm going to attempt one with some minor mods and some help.

luvinrunnin 4/4/12 at 12:10am

I love the design of this brooder. I think this will work very well and am going to have hubby build one for me.

micareli 4/7/12 at 9:01pm

I built something similar but other than width and length had no idea what I wanted, ..... went to Lowes bought a 4x8 1/2 inch Advantek.... water proof, .... ( Lowes will cut things for you COOL) had them to rip it at 30, 18 inches) the 18 inches became my back wall, I had left over pieces from the Coop doors and nesting box doors, used some 2"x2" ... i eventually built a small access door, and wrapped it in Black Screen. we currently have 40 nearly 5 week old birds in it..... I will try to post some pics of it.... rough but practical

GAKitten 4/15/12 at 8:25am

I LOVE this design. I very well may have to try my hand at this . thank you for sharing

aoxa 4/28/12 at 4:38pm

Very nice! I'm going to use this as inspiration for my own brooder Thanks

Winejunkie 4/30/12 at 8:12am

We got baby chicks while our coop was being finished off and the run built.
I never thought chicks would grow as fast as they have been. After about a week and half, it was clear that the makeshift cardboard box they were temporarily living in would become way too small. I stumbled upon this site along with brooders that people have made. I loved the design of this brooder and put some time aside this past weekend to build a replica of this one.
It came out great and my chicks will be moving in this afternoon!!
The only modifications that I made were to add a handle to the door and one on each side of the box to make it easier to more/relocate. I also added a roost which can easily be taken down if used for other animals.
Thanks for sharing your brooder!! It was a great little project and I love the design!!

aoxa 5/1/12 at 5:14pm

Okay so I made the brooder (grumbles) I hate hardware cloth! It hurts the fingers >_< Anyway.. It is going to work very well. We made our's 8 ft long x 3 ft wide. I'm sure it will fit a lot of growing chicks. I was thinking of splitting it down the middle, but we ran out of 2x2's. I ended up using 15 pieces of 2x2. I reinforced the box more, as it seemed flimsy. The thing would have been very cheap to make if not for the hardware cloth *rolls eyes*

Anyway, love the look of it! My chicks should be hatching this Friday and Saturday if all goes well. Lockdown started tonight! Fingers crossed!

CritterLuvin 5/7/12 at 10:33pm

I love this plan! I am rotating my flocks out and currently have A LOT of chicks that will be hatching in a few weeks. We had lots of ideas of building an outside temp controlled incubating/brooding house next to our other coops. This is a great starting point for how things will be set up inside. I love having the baby chicks close in the house but with the numbers i am expecting im going to need a lot more space! This brooder is PERFECT! Goodbye dark tiny smelly totes...HELLO paradise! Thanks for the plans and pics.

Abirdbrain 5/8/12 at 6:33am

With this form as an inspiration, I built a 30" x 72" brooder box, with 2 compartments. It has come in handy for separating birds of diferent ages/sizes, and will hold about 25 chicks each side until almost ready for yarding. They get a little crowded with that many, but we move and adjust as we go. My box is built from salvage and sale materials, as always. The doors are the only things screened, and have some 1/4 inch drop in panels, and butterfly clips to hold them in place closing up about 75% of the screen for cold weather. The birds seem very happy iwth the windless design, and the low profile of the front makes for easing scooping of the bedding. My Brooder is in a very airy yard barn, and winds filter through it regularly. It got painted white, inside and out, and has a very clean look, even after some use.

WalidMasoudi 7/2/12 at 6:56pm

Nice Nice !!

Dahlisgrams 7/4/12 at 6:04pm

Love it! It's almost exactly what we had in mind and was very helpful to be able to refer to while constructing ours, though the dimensions are slightly different. 68 x 34 x 14" for the box with an overall height of almost 29" for the frame. I can't wait to be able to brood some chicks! It looks great, is very sturdy and should be simple to clean and use. Thanks so much for posting this!