How do I make an outside brooder in SouthEast Idaho

[xcntry]

I received 10 chicks for an early birthday present. I was told they would stay well in a tote for a couple more weeks, (we are buying a house and plan on closing by the end of next week, that house has a garage) but they are not doing so well in this little tote in the dining room. In this house, I have no garage, no shed, nothing outdoors to set them up in...so I am pounding my head trying to figure out a way to set up a brooder outside, that is not going to break the bank... To add, this is Southeast Idaho...WINDY and COLD!

So, how do I build a brooder that can go outside in WINDY, COLD and currently rains more than not weather?

Please HELP!!!

Thank you!!!

 

[gmendoza]

Here is my brooder box for outside

It cost me only 2.00 to build.I used pallet wood and old plyboard that I asked for at a laser company.

Its not hard to build one,but just to be on the safe side,make your roof tin.you also will need to put a heat source in it for your chicks.
This one holds 30-40 chicks.

 

[xcntry]

Does the lid lift up? How do you regulate the heat? currently, my chicks are at 70 degrees...and the highs here are 60 degrees...I have a heat lamp set around 3 1/2 feet above the tote and they seem to get hot, not sure it is all about the heat lamp, or the 10 birds in small area...

 

[gmendoza]

The lid does lift up.the heat lamp is under the lid and I use an ordinary 60 watt bulb.it got a toasty 90 degrees on our 55-60 degree weather in SC.

 

[xcntry]

it appears to have a wood bottom...and a cardboard box...is the light in the cardboard box? How did you put the light into this?

our lows this week are in the 30's...

What are the dimensions of this?

I was thinking of doing a 4'x4'x2'...so I could get by with one sheet of plywood and then do hardware cloth on the bottom and lay cardboard over top of it to make it easier to clean...but, was concerned about drafts coming up through the floor...and is that high enough to hang a light without the chickens getting burned by the light?

 

[xcntry]

I guess I am at a trial and error point in raising these chicks...

Usually, that is when it costs the most...I pray not!

Thank you for your pictures...

I would LOVE to have nice tools to make such a hole...I would LOVE to just have nice tools!!!

 

[smith2]

If you have a local junk yard or auto salvage place, the cover off the back of an enclosed pickup truck (shell part) makes a pretty cheap brooder. You can get them around here for $25.00 if you have a way to haul it. Just an idea. The also make those big plastic and metal stock tanks that might work. You might could pick one up pretty cheap from a junk sale, junk yard, or junk metal yard.

 

[kristenm1975]

I just used OSB and 1x6 white wood. If I was to do it over again, I would make the whole thing OSB because the 1x6's were expensive. Naturally I recycled them into another coop when the brooder was done, but for what you're needing, you could just buy 4 sheets at less than $10 each, a couple of 2x4's for the frame, a couple hinges and voila! Here's my big brooder:

I had about 20 chicks in there at one point. It worked like a charm. Here's the inside with the heat lamp. There was room for two.

Good luck!

 

[xcntry]

Thank you!

 

[gmendoza]

Xcntry

see. Other people here have good ideas,and A brooder wont be used all the time unless you are a chicken farmer full time.Boxes are very easy to make out of any old recycle-able materials.

Gabriel