Brooder box built into coop

[Wise Woman]

I was searching through the site here, but didn't see to much about having a built in brooder box in your coop. I am going to keep looking, but thought I'd ask as well. I saw a couple things and I think it is an excellent idea. Since we are making external nest boxes on one side of the coop, I am thinking of making an external brooder box on the other side. I could access them from the outside, but would have wire on the inside (plexiglass when they are real tiny to keep the heat in) so the big girls could see and get used to the babies. What I am wondering is, does this work and make adding new chickens to the flock easier? Anyone do this? Since this coop will only be 6x6, I thought this would be a good way to add a useful thing to it without taking up precious floor space. When chicks aren't in it, I could open it up and they could have the use of the additional space. It would be 2x5 and about a foot and a half high. The coop will have overhangs and everything will be caulked and sealed to prevent any leakage. I will make the screen door so that it lifts up and out of the way when the brooder isn't in use. I could also let the little girls out into the coop part of the day after the big girls have laid their eggs. It would give them room to run and play. Is this a dumb idea? I really have to get everything I want in this coop as I will probably never get my husband to build another. Plus I seem to be getting my new chicks in shifts as the older ones die off, so I only ever have a few at a time. My husband would be very grateful not to have chickens in the living room. Let me know what you think about this idea or if you do this and how it works. Thanks so much.

 

[mandelyn]

I have one built under my roosts, so I get a "poo board" out of it too that I can clean without bending over. I also have electric run out there, and a clip inside to hold the light safely if they're little babies. I have a piece of a dog crate that fits the open end perfect when I need to block it off for babies OR new additions, since it's tall enough for adult birds too.

I recently used it for baby ducks, that the flock actually decided were ok much faster than new chickens.

It isn't external like yours will be. It's basically a wooden box on it's side, approx. 4 1/2 ft long, 3 ft deep, and just over 2ft tall. Screwed 1x3 boards on the sides, going up to the height I wanted the two roosts at, holes drilled through them, and the roost poles installed. I put old bedding from the floor onto the "poo board", then scoop that out and replace it every 2 days, so my bedding gets rotated out and thoroughly used.

When not in use, the front "panel" is pulled out and it is added floor space under the roosts, that doesn't get poopy thanks to the upper platform the roosts are on.

It's been really handy to have and has made introductions go really well since the grown hens can see and hear the new little ones. They were cool with the 3 week old ducklings after only 4 days!

Yesterday we split the coop right down the middle, chickens on the left, ducks on the right. Our building is a storage shed though, so lot's of room for alterations.

 

[Judy]

Here's one member who does it:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=14951

I have one corner of my coop penned off with fencing, maybe 5'x6', which I have used for a brooder, growout pen, and isolation pen. It has a heat lamp. It's come in handy several times. I won't brood in the house.

 

[Wise Woman]

Thank you for letting me know how well your set ups work. Ddawn, that is the picture I saw that made me start thinking about this. I don't mind the chicks in the house for a short time, but it gets old quick. My only other option would be to build a small coop just for chicks and that is a waste because I don't have chicks that often. My current chickens are all between 5 and 10 years old, so they aren't laying that great and people are beating my door down for eggs, so it is time for some new girls to do the laying while the retirees relax. So I don't really need or want an additional structure just for chicks. But since I am building a new coop, I figured why not put it in there. If I don't need it, the big girls can use the extra space.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My brooder is not built in, but I brood from day 1 in the coop. I also will never brood in the house.

What you are proposing should work, but I'll mention a couple of things to consider. Until they are fully feathered out, probably around 4 to 5 weeks, they need supplemental heat. In what you are building, how are you going to do that? You need to be able to control just how hot it gets. I suggest you really think that one out.

I keep one area in my brooder the recommended temperature range but let the rest cool off, maybe 20 to 30 degrees cooler. After the first couple of days, they play all over that brooder, only coming back occasionally to the heat to warm up. They do usually sleep pretty close to the heat source. But if you keep one area warm and let the rest cool off, they wil find their own comfort zone.

I suggest you give them plenty of ventilation. They need a draft guard, but I would not make that plexiglass all the way to the top. In what you are doing, too much heat may be a lot more of a risk that too cold.

On your thoughts of letting them play after the hens have laid. How do you handle bedtime? You don't want to lock the hens out of the coop when it is time for bed or you might teach them some bad habits. The chicks however, are probably not any more ready for bed than the hens. I won't say you cannot do this. I'm just suggesting you think it through. How hard would it be to make a small run outside the coop with a pop door to the brooder? Let's call it a growout pen. Just a thought.

I think the built-in brooder will be a tremendously useful thing. If you ever want to isolate a broody, treat an injured hen, or who knows what else, you have a very useful thing. I almost did it last year then changed my mind. Good luck with yours.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
It's a brilliant idea! I actually asked my husband to build that into our second coop this winter, but he hasn't quite gotten around to it so I've been using the area intended for the brooder as a temporary brooder. This photo shows the last phase of integration, where they're still in their little enclosure that has been opened up for them to get out if they like.
You can see it in this photo:

I had it covered with metal screening for the babies and big girlz to see each other and become comfortable withe each other. By the time they were big enough to mingle with each other, there were no conflicts. It works like a charm.

 

[Wise Woman]

Quote:
Excellent points Ridgerunner. Since I only ever have a few chicks at a time, I brood them in my house until they are about 4 weeks old. Then I would put them out in the brooder with a heat source on one side. Then they go back and forth as they want to. This has always worked out well and we have never ever lost a chick yet. If I were to put them out there from the get go, I would not seal up the door with plexiglass, but leave it partially open at the top for ventilation. I didn't explain that very well. Just enough to keep the drafts off of them. I do not know if I could regulate the temperate out there or not until it is built, so until I was sure about that, I wouldn't put new chicks out there. I would test it first and see how it holds the heat. I am going to have an electrician run a line out to the coop so I can have a heat lamp or light if I want it. That won't be a problem.

As for letting them play while the big hens are out, I would simply put them back in the brooder after a few hours of play time. Then, when it is bed time the big girls would be free to come in as they always do. I would only let the chicks out for a few hours at a time. As for the small run outside the coop, I suppose it wouldn't be that hard and is a thought. My husband is very uncooperative about building things though and so I am trying to make it as simple as possible or he won't do it. It is also going to be a raised coop so I am not sure if they could navigate up and down a ramp or not. It is a good thought though and perhaps I could put up something temporary like a small A frame run that is hinged at the top and could be folded up and put away when not in use. Then I could just pick them up and put them out there each day. Or perhaps I could just close off the part under the coop for the little girls and put them down there each day. Since we will be screening all of that in anyway, it wouldn't be much trouble to make a couple sets of screen doors instead of just running a piece of screening across. I am only planning to keep their food stored under there anyway. Will definately give that some thought! That way everyone would have their own sectioned off spaces.

Thank you for the tips! I appreciate it very much.

 

[Wise Woman]

Thanks for the picture ADozenGirlz. I am glad to hear this makes for a peaceful mingling of new and old when the time comes. This is my goal. I don't mind chicks in the house for a bit, but after a few weeks, we all want them out. If I can regulate the temperature out there well enough, then I won't have to have them in the house at all. I am trying to plan a coop for every situation I might run into.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
I kept them in the house for the first week and then they went out into the coop-brooder. I had a thermometer in it to monitor the temps and it worked out beautifully! Curiously, the babies go out into the run with the rest of the flock when they are ready to even though they are free to mingle in the general population outdoors much earlier than they venture out of the coop. They know when they're ready! This method also ensures that there are no difficulties getting the babies to roost at bedtime b/c they already know where they are expected to sleep.