Any ideas to have brooder outdoors for chicks?

[FidChick]

Do u always have to keep chicks indoors or can you design a brooder box that works outdoors? My husband is frustrated with the smell of chicks coming through our house from closed off room I have them in our lower level

 

[sourland]

If at all possible move it outdoors in a secure area. Far better than raising chicks indoors.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Are you wanting to design something that would be a stand alone brooder placed outside or something that could be placed say inside a coop or inside a garage or shed? On that matter is your coop currently built, any reason you can't brood in that structure?
Many of us, myself included, brood our chicks outside at all times… in my case I use a portion of my coopp that I section off with a temporary panel. Brooding within the rest of the flock also allows for early integration, my chicks begin integrating at 3 weeks and by 4 are living fully as part of the flock with no drama no muss and no fuss

 

[Mamatomany123]

As long as you provide shelter and proper heating, yes, they can be outside. I moved mine into their coop at 3 weeks with their hey source.

 

[aart]

Do u always have to keep chicks indoors or can you design a brooder box that works outdoors? My husband is frustrated with the smell of chicks coming through our house from closed off room I have them in our lower level

I move mine outside at about one week.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

Do you have older birds or are these your first?

 

[emilychickenson]

I'm getting my first set of chicks this spring after FINALLY convincing my husband. We just bought a second hand coop that is great - dry, secure, good ventilation, etc. I could rhapsodize on, but I'll leave it at that. I stumbled across the idea of brooding in the coop and think that would be way nicer than in the basement, dealing with the dust, noise, and smell. I'm wondering about the best supplemental heat for them - would it be an ecoglow? I don't want a heat bulb in the coop for obvious reasons. Should I have a dim light on for them in there, like a 40 watt bulb or something? There are two windows currently covered with plexiglass covers but it'll certainly not be super bright from them.

I appreciate any input!

 

[Peppercorngal]

My Dad always said that the "livestock do not belong in the house". I put my chicks in a brooder at day 2. It's in the free range area (which is fenced in) but not in the coop or run. It works great from day two until time to integrate at 4 weeks. When the time comes I open the doors and put a fencing that the chicks and go through but the big hens cannot. The chicks go in and out as they please and in no time they are part of the flock. No muss, no fuss! Good Luck!

 

[Chickenman1994]

Build you something like this I built this for my biddies add hardware cloth around the bottom about 2’ high.

 

[Hidrainja4]

It is best to avoid the house . I am setting up my ohio brooder in an attached garage. Outside if you have protections from predators of all kind and shelter from drafts and dampness.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My brooder (old coop, recycled) - would be better inside the current coop but this unit is pretty large and I don't get chicks regularly, so out in the run is fine. More info is available in aart's link above, as I also do early integration with chicks.