Wow!! Yer hired! This brooder sounds perfect. One of the mistakes I made with an earlier brooder is that I built it 4 x 4. Too wide for me to reach across and catch chicks, I had to have one of the kids 'push' them toward me, pretty inconvenient.
X2, breaks my heart reading the stories about people burning down their outbuildings with a water heater or heat lamp. I lost a favorite chook yesterday, she was our 'shoulder bird', preferring to roost on my shoulder when I came to collect eggs. Just breaks yer heart. I'm glad I can come in here and get a smile. Picturing Wing converting a Mormon is priceless, and Danielle....pictures of DH's backside? Too funny.Stake makes a great point here about the work light ratings... safety is a major factor when dealing with heat lamps!Lisa: You can get a 8"diameter reflector work light at HD for about $8....the lamps can be had at pickering Valley feed for about $17...(I think the lamps are cheaper at pet stores)...also make sure you don't buy a lamp wattage greater than what the work light will support....