Bantam Mini Coop

[aart]

I never heard of using anything but a heat lamp. I guess a heating pad would be more natural , more like a mama hen. I’ll look into it.

That space is awful small for a 'real' heat lamp.....
....there are other options, see my notes below.

Heating pad is the bomb!
Here's mine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.67729/

Yes to windows...for natural lighting.

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[mybackyardhobbyfarm]

That space is awful small for a 'real' heat lamp.....
....there are other options, see my notes below.

Heating pad is the bomb!
Here's mine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.67729/

Yes to windows...for natural lighting.

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

H

That space is awful small for a 'real' heat lamp.....
....there are other options, see my notes below.

Heating pad is the bomb!
Here's mine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.67729/

Yes to windows...for natural lighting.

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

so what is the best heating pad to get ? Are they safe to have next to sawdust ?

 

[mybackyardhobbyfarm]

That space is awful small for a 'real' heat lamp.....
....there are other options, see my notes below.

Heating pad is the bomb!

are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.



The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

I don’t believe it is an actual “heat” lamp because it’s warm but not too hot. Interested in the heat pad or plate idea. Is there a certain brand or type you would recommend? Wattage ?

 

[mybackyardhobbyfarm]

I am also getting ready to have another small coop built for 4 Seramas I am getting in the spring. I'm very curious about your coop and would love to see more pics. I have an idea in my head and a rough sketch but am allways looking for new ideas.

This coop I made for a pair of bantams or a rooster and two hens. It is only designed for a max of 3 bantams, and is going to have an attached run.
I’m going to use it as a brooder box for the chicks before putting a roof and more windows and making it into a coop.
I wanted a hip roof barn style so I googled some ideas and this is what I came up with. I didn’t follow a plan, just scribbled a rough idea on a notepad designed it in my head as I went along (I’m no pro but it seemed to all work out in the end).
The roof is detachable so I can easily lift it up and off, but is fitted over the base coop very snugly. The floor of the coop is a slider drawer so I can pull it out for ease of cleanliness. I’ve heard of people putting a boot rack tray in the bottom for ease of cleanliness, but I just put a rectangular scrap of linoleum on the floor to reduce wear and tear on the wood.
It has a bigger door in one end and a small chicken door on the other(I still need to add predator proof latches/locks).
I sat the whole coop on a 2ft high table.
The three main components of the coop(table,coop,roof) are all separate parts for convenience in moving the coop so it’s not too heavy. They can also be secured by screws for a semi-permanent or permanent spot...and if you ever want it apart, just pull out your screwdriver.
Thankyou for your interest. I will upload some more pictures later.

 

[Suzi18]

This coop I made for a pair of bantams or a rooster and two hens. It is only designed for a max of 3 bantams, and is going to have an attached run.
I’m going to use it as a brooder box for the chicks before putting a roof and more windows and making it into a coop.
I wanted a hip roof barn style so I googled some ideas and this is what I came up with. I didn’t follow a plan, just scribbled a rough idea on a notepad designed it in my head as I went along (I’m no pro but it seemed to all work out in the end).
The roof is detachable so I can easily lift it up and off, but is fitted over the base coop very snugly. The floor of the coop is a slider drawer so I can pull it out for ease of cleanliness. I’ve heard of people putting a boot rack tray in the bottom for ease of cleanliness, but I just put a rectangular scrap of linoleum on the floor to reduce wear and tear on the wood.
It has a bigger door in one end and a small chicken door on the other(I still need to add predator proof latches/locks).
I sat the whole coop on a 2ft high table.
The three main components of the coop(table,coop,roof) are all separate parts for convenience in moving the coop so it’s not too heavy. They can also be secured by screws for a semi-permanent or permanent spot...and if you ever want it apart, just pull out your screwdriver.
Thankyou for your interest. I will upload some more pictures later.

Please do. I'm really anxious to see it and thanks for your time

 

[mybackyardhobbyfarm]

Here’s a short little video.

 

[Suzi18]

Really nice. Thank you so much for posting it

 

[mybackyardhobbyfarm]

Hi @aart just wanted to ask you a question... about the heating pad idea. The mama hen brooder heat pad idea. I will post a few pictures so you know what I’m talking about . So the first one is an old wine rack with mini bungies and the heating pad inside it in a “C” shape with wood spacers on the side to adjust the height of the cave and help keep the heat inside. I’ll post a few to demonstrate this. Constructive criticism, ideas and opinions are appreciated! I was also looking at another post on BYC with the heating pad attached by bungees to a old fridge shelf. I might try that out if it’s a better idea.
Supplies:

Smallest setting, juice box for size comparison.

All the way open for when the chicks get older. Can be adjusted as the chicks grow .

I could also build a dome or cave with hardware cloth and put it on/in that.
Another alternative is to do this.. a triangle tunnel and add reinforcements so it doesn’t collapse.

 

[aart]

I was also looking at another post on BYC with the heating pad attached by bungees to a old fridge shelf. I might try that out if it’s a better idea.

It is a better idea.
They need to be able to touch their backs to the heating pad,
so height needs to be adjustable.
I posted a link to mine in my post #21 above.

 

[mybackyardhobbyfarm]

Painted