Fred's Hens :
Where chicks are brooded is irrelevant. Mother hens brood outside, even in the dead of winter in northern states.
If the chicks are warm, (or cool, enough), it doesn't matter. I'm a big fan of the shed, barn, or garage. For dust and smells, those locations please my wife far better.
X2
3 days in the brooder shed and everything is covered with dust.
My wife would freak if she ever knew I had chicks in the basement even.
I like to err on the cool side. Small brooders can get too hot with nowhere to escape. If they crowd together I move the heat closer.
With large numbers I use a homemade 3'X4' box with a lamp at both ends inverted on legs so the chicks can come and go and find their comfort zone. Works great right through winter in unheated uninsulated building. If one light goes out there's still heat.
Where chicks are brooded is irrelevant. Mother hens brood outside, even in the dead of winter in northern states.
If the chicks are warm, (or cool, enough), it doesn't matter. I'm a big fan of the shed, barn, or garage. For dust and smells, those locations please my wife far better.
X2
3 days in the brooder shed and everything is covered with dust.
My wife would freak if she ever knew I had chicks in the basement even.
I like to err on the cool side. Small brooders can get too hot with nowhere to escape. If they crowd together I move the heat closer.
With large numbers I use a homemade 3'X4' box with a lamp at both ends inverted on legs so the chicks can come and go and find their comfort zone. Works great right through winter in unheated uninsulated building. If one light goes out there's still heat.
