I've really needed to be getting some chicks out of the house; the dust they are kicking up from the pine shavings is choking me up. So I've been working on a hoop coop brooder house, which could also do double duty as a greenhouse in the future.
Thanks. Realized this morning, it's 27 degrees right before sun up and with the open top it's a bit too breezy in there. So I'm going to close it up a little bit more. I have a four lamp brooder that I bought for $5 at a yard sale. It works but needs a new thermostat. When the thermostat is working it's supposed to turn off two of the lamps when they are not needed. For right now I'll have to do things like unscrew a bulb or unplug it but can make do with it until I can order a new thermostat. At ground level it was 32 degrees, I plugged in the lights and it was 50 right under the unit in about fifteen minutes. I'm thinking of building a three sided box for it to keep off the draft and keep it warmer at night. The chicks in the house have been at a bout 70 degrees for a couple weeks so don't want to shock them too much going out to this setup.
