brooder input needed- please help me decide

[TeamChaos]

I want chickens, I have my heart set on chickens, but I am agonizing over every step of the way. Here's the first hurdle:
Where to put the brooder?

I have a mud room at my house, but I am really leery of having chicken dust in the air as I have a young daughter who has sinus/allergy stuff going on.

Mudroom PROs
* It's on site, so I can check often
* power is easily obtainable
* it's insulated; it's attached to my house, it's warm, although not as warm as the part of the house we live in
CONS
* Chicken dust- I've never experienced it, but I am really apprehensive about subjecting my family to it
* dogs- I have two giant dogs, one has very good manners, the other is a pushy puppy and will need to be kept away from the brooder with great measure
* changing litter and cleaning will all have to be done either through my kitchen (gross) or off my back steps, which will be dangerous on the ice.

My other option is the trailer out at the farm I'm cleaning out to potentially be the winter coop
Trailer PROs:
* It's out of the way, no dogs, no complaining family

* I'm not worried about the chicken dust
* litter can be changed without worrying about contamination

CONs:
* power will be ran from the house, about 35 yards.
* I'm still varmint proofin' it
* it's out of the way, I'll check on it several times during the day, but not so much at night.


I can't keep going back and forth between the two, it's making me craaaazy!

 

[LynneP]

Would your daughter be able to avoid the mud room for a couple of weeks?
You may wish to drape a sheet of plastic over the entrance so that when you open the door you still have a shield to keep dust out of the house.

 

[TeamChaos]

I don't think I could insist a seven year old not look at the babies, especially because I can't promise I'll be able to resist.. I like the idea of an additional drape. Maybe an air purifier on the human side of the drape?
I'm guessing, for the first few weeks anyway, that I should just deal with having them in the house rather than risking their lives by putting them farther out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd varmint proof the trailer and use that. To me, the 7-year-old's health has to top all other considerations. Don't underestimate the danger from dogs either. Your mud room may not actually be all that predator proof.

I put mine in the coop about 200 feet from the house from day one. It did have power and it was later in the year, so my weather may have been warmer. Don't know where you are. It was predator proof and I set the brooder up ahead of time and made sure I could keep the temperatures up where they needed to be.

I saw a neighbor's shed that has just burned this morning, so you do have to be very careful with the heat, whether in the mud room or the trailer.

I don't know your full set-up and all the conditions and variables, but there's my opinion.

 

[sherrydeanne]

How many chicks are you talking about? Now, I'm not saying chickens aren't dusty, but I didn't even notice the dust last year. I'd put them in the mudroom and move them to the trailer when they're driving you crazy (about 4 weeks should do it lol).

 

[Dora'smom]

Even though your daughter has allergies, it may work best to have the chicks in the mudroom. It depends on the severity of her allergies, how she reacts to having them in the house, and if you are able to take a few measures to help her through this time.
We all have allergies, but kept our chicks (both sets) in the house, and that is what I am planning for this spring. I vacuum and dust often, run an air purifier near the brooder, and have a chicken wire top on the brooder, held down by movable clamps, to dog-proof. It's only a few weeks, and if you are able to do this, and change litter often, most likely it won't be a problem. You can predator-proof the trailer for use when they are able to go outside, while trialing indoors. Hope this helps, let us know how it goes.

 

[thechickonthehill]

Something to consider regarding the dust - use pelleted horse bedding. MUCH less dust than shavings. I have used both and noticed a big difference. To me, having them in the house the first few weeks is really important because it is so much easier to spend time with them and get them used to being handled.

 

[Dora'smom]

Ditto. We use only bedding pellets, in the brooder and in the coop, except for in the nest boxes. We use pine shavings in those. The pellets fall apart into sawdust when dampened, and remain pretty odorless.

 

[LeghornLisa]

I was standing in your shoes a year ago. I decided to put my brooder in a small room I have with a glass door, we call it the den. Anyway, I set the brooder up in there and didn't have a problem with the dust till them were older and feathered. Because this was my first time with chickens my loving husband was still working on the coop and I kept them in the house a bit longer than I anticipated. It actually got to the point that I would take the cover off the brooder and they would jump up on the edge of the box and climb onto the window sill...a few people walking by would do a double take to see a chicken in the window looking at them...but honestly, the dust wasn't an issue till they were older. We all have allergies in this house and it wasn't a problem. I was much more comfortable having them inside where I could keep an eye on them, my coop is like fort knox but I still didn't sleep the first night they were out there. Let me know what you decide to do and good luck.

 

[boxermom]

I have my brooder out in the barn. When DH built it, I wasn't sure if the barn was predator proor or not, so he made the brooder predator proof. It worked wonderfully. I got up once in the middle of the night to look at them that first night. After that, I was convinced they were safe. It was good exercise to walk back and forth several times a day.

No mess in the house, and a good excuse to get outside. I won't have chicks in the house again. Before DH built the brooder in the barn, I had 3 chicks in the basement. Still a mess, although convenient, I won't do that again.