I think it is a great idea. My brooder is in the coop, I put chicks in it straight out of the incubator or from the post office, whether the middle of summer or when the outside temperature is below freezing in winter. I use a heat lamp but mine is set up for that. The idea is to have one spot warm enough in the coldest weather and one spot cool enough in the warmest weather. In winter I keep one end toasty but the far end might have ice in it. To me the challenge in outside brooding is to handle the temperature swings. A heating pad can handle that really well.
If you follow the link to that thread you should see how they set it up. You need a heating pad that does not have an automatic shut-off. Don't use an old one, the wires inside can get brittle and break, causing a fire. Water and electricity do not mix so be a bit careful with that. There is some discussion in that thread about the chicks needing to be able to touch the top so how high it is might need to be adjusted as they grow. With basic precautions I think a heating pad is very safe and effective. It is probably a good choice for you.
I don't know how many chicks you'll have, how big that coop is, or what it looks like inside. I don't know what size heating pad you need for your number of chicks. That is a really long thread and it's been a long time since I read any of it, maybe they mention capacity.
I find that chicks whether in my coop or with a broody hen spend a lot of their first three days or so in the heat or under the broody when it is a bit cool. I don't know if that is because they are still living off absorbing the yolk before hatch and don't need to come out to eat and drink or if they need extra heat those first few days, maybe a bit of both. Usually around the third or fourth day they become a lot more active. Mine seem to be really good at choosing the right temperature straight out of the incubator but if you want to keep them inside for a few days I won't argue. When they do go out you may be surprised how little cold weather bothers them after they get a bit of age on them. But they do need a warm spot to go warm up.
After they are a week or so old they are really active, you've raised them before with a broody and know that. They can jump and maneuver really well. Still I'd look at that coop inside and see if there are any spots that they might get stuck where they cannot get back to the heat. That can be deadly. Something else to be aware of, I've done this. If you do try to block an area off, make sure it doesn't create a trap. I used netting to block the bottom 18" of my main run so chicks could not get through it. When they got a bit older they got trapped between that netting and my run fencing. It was summer and no harm done but in winter it could have been bad. That coop probably doesn't have an area like that after they are a week or so old.
That is an elevated coop. I'd wait until they were a few weeks old before I'd give them access to the run. Hopefully the coop is big enough that you can do that with your number of chicks. You may have had that same type of issue with your broody.
I'm not trying to talk you out of it, I think it is a great idea. Good luck with it.
If you follow the link to that thread you should see how they set it up. You need a heating pad that does not have an automatic shut-off. Don't use an old one, the wires inside can get brittle and break, causing a fire. Water and electricity do not mix so be a bit careful with that. There is some discussion in that thread about the chicks needing to be able to touch the top so how high it is might need to be adjusted as they grow. With basic precautions I think a heating pad is very safe and effective. It is probably a good choice for you.
I don't know how many chicks you'll have, how big that coop is, or what it looks like inside. I don't know what size heating pad you need for your number of chicks. That is a really long thread and it's been a long time since I read any of it, maybe they mention capacity.
I find that chicks whether in my coop or with a broody hen spend a lot of their first three days or so in the heat or under the broody when it is a bit cool. I don't know if that is because they are still living off absorbing the yolk before hatch and don't need to come out to eat and drink or if they need extra heat those first few days, maybe a bit of both. Usually around the third or fourth day they become a lot more active. Mine seem to be really good at choosing the right temperature straight out of the incubator but if you want to keep them inside for a few days I won't argue. When they do go out you may be surprised how little cold weather bothers them after they get a bit of age on them. But they do need a warm spot to go warm up.
After they are a week or so old they are really active, you've raised them before with a broody and know that. They can jump and maneuver really well. Still I'd look at that coop inside and see if there are any spots that they might get stuck where they cannot get back to the heat. That can be deadly. Something else to be aware of, I've done this. If you do try to block an area off, make sure it doesn't create a trap. I used netting to block the bottom 18" of my main run so chicks could not get through it. When they got a bit older they got trapped between that netting and my run fencing. It was summer and no harm done but in winter it could have been bad. That coop probably doesn't have an area like that after they are a week or so old.
That is an elevated coop. I'd wait until they were a few weeks old before I'd give them access to the run. Hopefully the coop is big enough that you can do that with your number of chicks. You may have had that same type of issue with your broody.
I'm not trying to talk you out of it, I think it is a great idea. Good luck with it.
