Brooder inside the coop?

[Erba]

I have a metal brooder, that i would like to put in the coop. I already have a black ceramic heating lamp installed in there for the winter. I don't really want the chicks inside in that big brooder and moving the lamp would be a hassle. Only thing is their daddy crows pretty early. Would they integrate better if they were sort of with each other from the beginning as chicks? I'm expecting them in 7+ days. Daddy and two mums free range in the afternoons at the moment and sleep in the coop.

 

[TwoChicksChix]

As long as it doesn’t get too cold for the chicks and they can’t get touched by your older chickens it shouldn’t be too big of a problem.

Just watch out her health issues, as baby chicks don’t have a good immune system yet and are more susceptible to health issues at this young age.

Though my recommendation is to always keep them indoors somewhere safe for the first six weeks until they’re fully feathered.

 

[DobieLover]

I brooded day old chicks in my built-in brooder using a brooder plate. Day old. With 11 adult chickens right on the other side of the 1/2" HC. I had Corid on hand "just in case". The lowest temps they experienced were 23F and they were positively ripping and tearing around their brooder.

 

[Compost King]

I advocate for having a brooder in a coop provided the environment is safe for them. They integrate better and I found the ones I kept in a coop brooder ended up hardier through out their lives as they are exposed to different elements at a young age as their immune systems develop. Not to take away from what @Doublegi because the counter argument is worthy to take note of, if you want to keep all the young chicks full sheltered at a young age there are benefits to that too. I guess it comes down to if you want to treat them as pets or if you want to treat them as livestock. I prefer to treat them as livestock and brood them outside. I do however keep mine inside for the first 3 weeks because my set up just morphed into that.

 

[Erba]

Outside is probably warmer than inside here in July/August although the nights are cooler but the coop is very safe. I overdid the security and made it a fortress..lol The brooder is pretty safe too, so they can look but not touch. Bit worried about infection, now you mentioned it..
I don't keep any other livestock. It's just the cat, that avoids all things chicken and the dog that knows he's not to go in the chicken pen.

 

[Erba]

I moved the empty brooder into the coop to set it up. Took a bit of rearranging to get it positioned safely. Sussex are heavy birds and like to jump on things! Also wanted the parents to get use to it being there. They are now fine with it. I am making a flax straw nest for the little ones under the lamp. Water and feeder will be at the other end where I have access to it through the opening top flap. Lockdown is Monday, so exciting!

 

[Toothpick]

Go for it. I just put my chicks in there a couple days ago. From all the advice here it’s the best and easiest way to integrate new chicks. Water, food, heat source. Bout all you need.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll include a photo of my brooder in the coop. This is set up for spring, the plastic is high enough to give some breeze protection but not keep heat in. My brooder is raised with a wire floor so the poop falls through. I have plastic bins under there for easy clean-up. The plastic goes to the floor to keep the hens from messing with the bins. When outside temperatures are much colder I pretty much wrap the brooder in plastic to keep in heat on the warm end. The cooler end has good ventilation and will sometimes have ice or frost in it. When it is that cold the chicks mosty stay on the warm end. In the heat of summer I still have the plastic to protect the bins but use a lower wattage heat bulb.

To me, the main issue in brooding outside is the heat swings. I've had temperatures below freezing one morning and over 21 within 36 hours. The brooder needs to be set up to keep them warm enough in the coldest temperatures but cool enough in the warmest conditions. I find that chicks straight out of the incubator can manage temperatures themselves if given options.

I'm in the group that tries to keep their chickens healthy by developing their immune system from the start. I do not believe in raising them in a sterile environment then turning them loose in a non-sterile environment with no strengthened immune system. I feed them dirt from the run where the adults are regularly, starting on the second or third day in the brooder. To me, this starts them on any flock immunities they might need, gets grit into their system, and provides them any probiotics the adults might have to share.

Since my adults can see the chicks the chicks are pretty much raised with the flock. I have a lot of coop room, a lot of room outside, weather the chickens can go outside practically every day of the year, good hiding places in the coop, and multiple feeding and watering stations. Not everyone has this, especially the room and hiding places inside and out. My typical integration is that at 5 weeks I open the brooder door. When all the chicks are out of the brooder I close the brooder door. Then I walk away. That is it. I have never lost a chick to another adult flock member doing this. Did I mention that I have lots of room and weather that my chickens can spend all day every day outside? Not everyone has my conditions so this won't work for everyone, but I am a firm believer that raising chicks in the coop makes integration easier.

 

[Compost King]

This brooder was built after the coop was built so it has many flaws. the door is behind the feeder, the heat lamp is in the back left corner out of site in the picture. I took the brooder feeder out to encourage the chicks to eat from the large feeder. Next time I do this I will likely allow more sunlight in. I will have it about 12 to 18 inches off the ground and I will likely put egg boxes under it to save space. there is a poop board and roosting bars over it already.

No problems integrating chicks... in normal conditions.