In-coop brooder divider?

[DownwardDog]

Hello all!

We are on year 2 of chicken-keeping! We have another design question now. We are using poop boards on both sides of the coop. Under one of them (the side with a door into the run), we want to make that space a brooder. We have tried several items, including shower curtains, to divide the coop so the resident hens can see but not interact with, new hens or baby chicks. So, we are now looking at this aviary netting:
https://www.strombergschickens.com/...three-quarter-inch-mesh-14X50/poultry-netting

Does anyone have experience with this? I'm wondering how flexible this is (it would hang like a shower curtain) and if it would be strong enough to not crack and tear over time, since part of it would be opened daily to get into that space that the hens&chicks would be in. Might anyone have other ideas? Thanks!

 

[blucoondawg]

I wouldn't bother with the plastic netting for any application I just don't think it will last and after a few uses of you take it down and roll it up and in roll it again it will stay to get weak spots and break. The only netting I would use is the regular tied string type netting I've had the 2 inch mesh over my run for 2 years now and it had stood up to heavy snow, sunlight and large branches falling on it. Mine is 2 inch mesh which would be sort of big for small chicks but you may be able to find a 1 inch mesh. I bought mine off amazon a 25x50 for piece was around 35 dollars

 

[Folly's place]

I use a large size pet airline crate; just make sure that the door grate openings are small enough to keep baby chicks in. One of my cages has duct tape across the bottom of the door because the openings are a little too large for my bantam babies. Mary

 

[blucoondawg]

Last year I divided my coop to protect the young ones we ordered, I built a rectangular frame or of 2x2s and attached chicken wire and temporarily screwed it to the wall of my coop I then built Smaller frame the same way and used it as a door by hinging it on the wall. Easily removed when the chicks get larger

 

[henless]

I built a brooder under my poop board. I like it, and I don't. With the brooder under my roosts, I have to go out every morning and scrape poop. Not a big deal, unless we won't to go away for the weekend, or those mornings when I have to leave before dawn. On those days, I make my girls get down off the roost so I can clean the board.


This was last year when my girls were still young. I put them out in the brooder when they were 2 weeks old, about the middle of March.




Here it is now. I've only used it a couple times since last year. Once to put a chicken in that had her tail feathers pecked to keep them from pecking her more. Then when I sold 6 of my pullets. I put them in here until the new owners came and picked them up that day.


I plan on using it this spring when I get some new chicks.

What you can do, is build a couple of wood/wire cages that will fit under your poop boards. Then when you don't need them anymore, you can simply remove them.