Building a Brooder (Revised to include Pics now!)

[WyandotteTX]

Ive been working on it the past few days but here is the gist of it. Its 5 feet tall, 2 ft deep and 4 ft wide with roller wheels on the bottom. Three compartments have wire floor(hail screen) with removable pans underneath each for removal of poop. The other compartment does not have wire but is plywood, for those times when I have small or weak chicks that shouldnt need to be on wire.
I have put 1 x 1/2 inch wire on the sides of each compartment. I have also drilled holes in the ends of the compartments for a heat lamp to be placed inside the compartment.
I dont have too much left to go to have it completed but I will try and post pics tomorrow when it is done.
So far I think materials have cost me about $150 dollars. Not too bad considering a metal compartment brooder will cost you over a $1000 bucks!

 

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

Pics Please!!!

 

[ROCKIN R FARM]

would like to see pics of your brooder too. I am in the process of getting ready to get idea for brooders. I am going to start hatching in the spring.
deana

 

[Louise's Country Closet]

Oh I want to see pics too!! I love making our own stuff and a nice brooder would be great!

 

[WyandotteTX]

Ok here are the pictures I promised. I finished it this morning finally. Glad to be done with it haha.....
But hope it works as well as I think it will.

 

[SuziQ991]

Wow that looks great! Will the trays slide out?

 

[buggie]

How big are the openings in the hail screen?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

very nice work! You can even start your tomatoes in there when you aren't brooding!

 

[WyandotteTX]

Thanks for the comments. yes there are openings right under the compartments for the oil drip trays to sit on and enough room to take them out as well. The openings in the wire for the doors is about 12 in high and 18 in wide.

It was my first attempt at building one of these, so I learned some things to do differently the next time. I would probably make it a shade taller to have a little more room in each compartment. If I wanted to build several of these I would build a jig on a 4x8 sheet of plywood for the frame that way everything would stay square...haha
I think I would probably build wood frame doors as well, they are just sturdier and easier to deal with.
oh yeah, the hail screen openings are 1/4 x 1/4 inch. its small openings, you could do 1/2 x 1/2 if you would rather do that.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Where do the heat lamps hang?