Hubby tired of chicks in house - so I build a brooder in my coop! PICS

[Quail_Antwerp]

So my husband is kind of tired of my brooding chicks in the house - and I kind of am, too, because they are dusty and messy.

Last fall we had added a nice 8x8 room with a floor on my coop. I use it for poultry storage and to store my feed. I also had some bantams roosting inside in dog crates at night

Anyway, we decided to build some indoor pens along the one wall...originally to be bantam pens for my bantam cochins. A few days ago I decided to turn it into a brooder instead.


I framed the front in with 2x4's and attached chicken wire to the sides. My husband has a saw that lets you set the angle you want. So he showed me how to use it and set a 45 degree angle to make the door (I forget what the name of the saw is).

I also laid linoleum down inside on the floor so that when I clean out the bedding, I can sweep it up and then use a sponge, wet towel, etc to clean the floor before replacing the bedding.

I used corner braces to hold my door together.

I then used small holed hardware cloth for the door and above the door.

Finished, and ready to be used.

It is now housing 2 peafowl, some chicks, and guinea keets. I checked on everyone this morning, and they were all just fine! No one was huddled under the heat lamp or anything.

 

[annie3001]

nice build!

 

[MissJenny]

It's a compound miter saw and you did a really nice job on that door! Nice job on the brooder! And now you need to fill it all up!

One mention -- is your light really really secure -- somewhere on here I saw a fire cause by a light that fell into the broody -- the very image makes me squeamish.

Jenny

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Yes, it's secure

I actually raised it a little higher than that before I put my chicks in it. It runs out through the top of the brooder, right under the ceiling of the barn. I'll try to get pictures later. The cord is held in place by wrapping rough edges of my chicken wire around it. It then runs across the top of the 2x4 on the top of the neighboring pen (that I just started on yesterday to make a 2nd brooder) and is held in place with fence staples.

It can't move.

Trust me, I was worried about fire, too, so I was out there at midnight checking on how things were.

 

[EweSheep]

I hang chains with snap for my brooder lights, much safer and it wont get knocked off when the chicks roughhoused.

 

[Little Barnyard]

nice brooder we did that before so cool

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Quote:
Thank you! That's a great idea!!

I'm working on hanging some paneling on the interior walls of my barn to help with warmth in winter - I told my DH, "You realize this means I can probably brood chicks all winter long, right??"

Yea, I think I heard screaming.......

 

[CoyoteMagic]

One word. NICE!!

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

Hey, you did a good job....looks like a pro did it.
We built a barn last summer and now our chicks and ducklings are in the house for 1 week then outside in the wire bottom brooders. No more smell and dust....