I hatch and raise chicks during January or February every year. My brooder is in the coop, I’ve put chicks in there straight out of the incubator even when the outside temperature was below freezing. One end may have ice on it but the area the chick are in is toasty warm. I use the heat lamps like people have successfully used for over a hundred years that so many people seem to hate. I’m not espousing any method of providing heat, they all work if set up right. The idea of any brooder should be to keep one area warm enough in the coldest conditions and cool enough in the warmest conditions. You can do that with heat lamps, heating pads, heat plates, emitters, hovers, and other ways. They all have their advantages and disadvantages but if they are set up correctly they all work. If you use a heat lamp I suggest you throw that clamp away so you are not tempted to use it. I think that clamp causes most of the problems with them, the clamp can fail. Securely wire that lamp in place. Use wire, not plastic or fiber that can burn or melt.
There are more risks in winter in the Midwest. Something that might be an inconvenience in warm weather can become fatal in really cold weather. Your chances of a power outage are probably higher. If you brood outside like I do you need to keep water from freezing. I set my water in the area warmed by the heat lamp, others use other methods. There is always more than one way to do these things.
Another problem brooding outside is temperature swings. You will likely get some nights well below freezing. You will also likely get days in the 60’s or 70’s. Your heating method needs to keep one area warm enough in the coldest temperatures but another area cool enough in the warmest conditions.
Brooding in your garage probably solves most of these problems, especially if it is an attached garage. I mention them so you know what to prepare for and to look for.
I brood in the coop instead of in the house because I want to stay married to my current wife. There are three potential issues. One is noise, the chicks can get pretty loud. If you make the brooder dark at night that isn’t an issue at night, they sleep.
Another is the dust. Those chicks can put a layer of dust on everything. Some of that is down and skin flaking off, that’s called dander. Hopefully no one is allergic to that. Some is them scratching the bedding to a powder. Some of that dust is scratching in the dry poop. Depending on what else is in the garage that dust may or may not be an issue. A lot of people brood in the house and put up with it.
Another potential issue is the smell. A dry brooder won’t smell, at least not badly. But a wet brooder will smell and can be unhealthy. You can manage that by making sure your waterer doesn’t spill and that the poop doesn’t build up so thickly that it doesn’t dry out. Your bedding is like a diaper, it absorbs moisture. But once a diaper is soaked it doesn’t absorb any more moisture and needs to be changed. If it starts to smell it’s time to change it.
Many of these issues can pop up regardless of the time of year. Winter is more challenging but many people are quite successful then too. Good luck!
