I've just recently gotten some new chicks. Right now I have the brooder set up inside. I really want to have them out in the coop. I have a couple questions and would love any advice and ideas for a coop brooder. If this is something that will work I would make this setup a nice, fixed addition to the coop. So, my questions are would having constant heat and light set up disturb the flock? As long as there is no way for the flock to get at the chicks to physically harm them, is there any potential danger for the chicks or flock? Is a brooder in the coop gonna be impossible to keep warm enough? I could keep going on with questions but I am more open to feedback from some of yours folks experiences with this. Any feedback and pictures of some cool ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I have no answer to the impact on an existing flock, but I read many cases where people had a setup like that. I can however attest to the keeping warm part. I had my brooder in my coop (no other chickens yet) and had no trouble maintaining a 95 degree temp under a heatlamp. The brooder was big enough that they also could get away. By 3 weeks I've allowed them the run of the entire coop and they are at about 80 degree temp now, with a heatlamp still on. I am moving to heatlamp only at night for the next week or so, as they don't seem to be cold and seem to be avoiding the lamp area during the day, assuming that it will stay in the upper 60s to mid 70s for a while still. It is 73 in the coop right now and they seem happy enough without a lamp. Oh, you can see my setup on my BYC page, scroll all the way down.
