1. The Starter Hen House
So starting small? This is a starter house for your hens!!! Depending on the size of your brood and chosen container, it can last you until you've raised them to big girl coop size, or until you get something more permanent.
What you will need:
.Plastic Tub with lid
.hardware cloth or chicken wire (hardware cloth is easier)
.drill
.Wire Snips
.Zip-ties
What to do:
Take the lid off the tub. Then, snip an opening into the lid. (It doesn't have to be perfect, or very big.) Then, snip your chosen wire to the size of the hole. After you have done that, drill holes around the opening you have created, and zip-tie the wire to the lid. Fill the tub with bedding, and add some chicks!
2. Chicken math happened.
So, we've all been there, got some chicks, loved it, didn't have enough... So now you have more, or your originals are bigger. Knowing chicken people, it was most likely the first option. No matter how you got here, you need a bigger brooder.
What you need:
. 2 plastic tubs with lids
.Everything else from the Starter Hen House (or 2 cardboard boxes with covers of some sort.)
.And some tape and cardboard
What to do:
If you already have a Starter Hen House laying around, great, you only need to make another one. If you don't already, make 2. If you really went overboard while chicken shopping, 3+.
Cut into one side of your Starter Hen House, making a chick sized opening.
Do the same to your other one(s). Then, put them at a reasonable distance, and cut cardboard to fit. Now, cut multiple strips of duct tape (sticky side facing out) and tape a tunnel. Simple as that!!!
Outdoorsy Chicks!
So, we have all had days where its warm, the grass is green. Perfect day for chick playtime!!! Except you have a zoom call in 20 minutes. Well, you won't probobly be able to build this in 20 minutes. But, this way you can leave your chicks outside for long periods of time unsupervised!!!
Here is what you need:
.Half of the Chicken Math Happened Brooder (or a Starter Hen House with chick sized cut out)
.Plastic chicken wire. Small scrap wood peices.
. Grassy spot (by an out door outlet depending on the air temp, or chick age)
.Drill and screws
Here is what you do: place your brooder with a cutout in your chosen spot, and drill together a bench like structure that is a bit taller than the brooder. (Find out why later.)
Build a second bench like structure of the same height and width, and place it across a few feet from your first one. Now, staple plastic chicken wire to each side, and over top, place your chicks and their feed and water in their mini run, and slide the top under the bench like structure. Then after everyone is settled in, go do your thing! If it's cold outside, or your chicks are young, its possible to put the brooder section under a heat lamp if you have an out door outlet. If its snowing, or soaking wet outside, don't put them in this yet, probably best to wait for better weather. Also, this is a daytime structure only!!! If you put them in this at night, you risk losing your brood.(note: the design I just explained is a modified version of what I have. Mine is for much older chicks under close supervision.)
4. Almost A Big Girl
Most likely if your reading this, chicken math got the best of you once more. If you don't have broodys, and you want to let the chicks and your existing flock interact, make this!!!
What you need:
.Any of the previous listed brooders, but with a clear tub so the chicks and chickens can safely see and interact.
What to do:
This one is all about setting up a brooder in your coop. All you need to do, is decide where the brooder goes. You could put it in the corner, where I recommend, or somewhere else in the coop. Asuming you still managed to have grass in the run, you could cut out the bottom of the brooder, and let your chicks scratch around. This one is pretty self explanitory.
5. Let Mom Do it
So, if you do have a broody, here is a brooder for them!
What you need:
Puppy play pen that fits in the run, possibly a tune or small structure for them to get out of the wind or cold. Set up your play pen in your chosen place. Then, put in your small structure for them to hide in, add your broody, possibly her chicks. It depends if you want her to set in there, or move the existing brood over. Then, cover the pen with a tarp, this provides shade, and blocks other chickens from getting in. This last pic is of my blind pullet taking in her chicks at night. They were in a playpen in my garage for a few weeks until we got them a coop.
