Need Help with Brooder and Nesting Box Design

[Feranix]

Hello,

I am not sure how to design a brooder or nesting boxes. I was thinking about doing two nesting boxes. That way if I have different species like ducks and chickens I can separate them.

So nesting boxes I was gonna do 14"×14"x14" painted wood. then get plastic dishes for them to actually use as nesting so I can like take them out and clean easier. I think I can fit 6 under that horizontal bar in the back. 3 on each side of the vertical. These are just estimates though. I was gonna try to do two rows of nesting boxes. Then, I was gonna put a window above them, for my airflow.

As for the nesting box I was thinking making them both about 4ft long, 34" wide and 2ft high. Is that good enough? I wanna make sure I can adjust headlamps if necessary in the future.

Or should I put a perch back there and use the sides for brooder and nesting boxes???

pictures should be included of the coop itself and my poorly drawn design. lol
View attachment 1468357
View attachment 1468358

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are so many different ways you can build nests or brooders it's not even funny. Here are some old threads that show what others have done for nests.

Nest boxes

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41108/show-us-your-nest-boxes-ingenous-design-post-it-here/220

Nest Boxes

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/4...-your-creative-nesting-boxes/80#post_12395882

Opa’s Rollaway Nest Box

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=287684

What you describe should work for nests.

My brooder is 6' x 3' x 2' high. I've brooded about 30 chicks in there for 5 weeks and had enough room. Whether the size of yours will work or not will depend on how many you plan to brood and how long you plan to keep then in there. They grow awfully fast.

I want a brooder where you can keep one area warm but the far end cools off quite a bit. Sometimes in winter I have ice in the far end of the brooder but the area where the chicks are is toasty. That way you don't have to worry about keeping the entire brooder warm enough or cool enough. That can be a huge problem outdoors where you can get big temperature swings. I once went from below freezing one night to the 70's F in a day and a half. The chicks just moved closer or further from the heat as they needed to. I use heat lamps but there are other ways to provide heat too, heat plates, heating pads, emitters, and others. They can all work. I adjust my heat by changing to different wattage bulbs, not by moving the heat lamp.

 

[True Patriot]

I built my brooder 48"x24"x24" it held 10 chicks, but at 2 weeks they were moved to the coop. I think it would have been good for maybe 4 if I went longer. Pics on my coop page. My nesting box on my coop is 28"w x 18d x 20"h. I'm trying to do a combined nest rather than individual boxes. I can't say how it works since I don't expect any laying until around the end of September.

The wood inside is to help keep them out so they don't learn to roost in the box

 

[pintail_drake2004]

I built a brooder box in one of my 16x20 cattle loafing sheds and converted the whole thing for breeding/grow outs. I have brooded 3 litters in it this summer so far (29 chicks total). I built it so that I could dismantle it in the fall so it doesn't take up that much space after I take out the last batch. Really, only 2 pieces of scrap plywood screwed together in a corner on the floor, covered with a top made from scrap 1x lumber and chicken wire. Now, that I'm done brooding for the season, I unscrewed the 2 pieces of plywood for an added extra 20sqft to the brooding house. My wife and I decided to only put some roosting bars in the brooding house for the time being. Maybe next spring I'll install a few nest boxes.

 

[lazy gardener]

Are you brooding chicks in the coop? (I recommend it) IMO, chicks should have 2 s.f./bird by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. I am a fan of MHP brooding. Using a MHP allows you to provide the right kind of heat for the chicks without overheating the whole coop. I prefer early integration. Many folks have found that it works well to start integration around 3 - 4 weeks. Some do so as early as 2 weeks, with or without a broody hen. My broody hen took her littles into the flock at around 7 days. Check @azygous article re: panic room for early integration.

As for your coop plans, first... how many s.f.? Recommendation is for 4 s.f. of floor space per bird. Ventilation: Recommendation: = to 10% of floor space or 1 s.f./bird, which ever number is larger. Nest boxes: 1 box/4 layers. Or community style boxes. If you do community boxes, I suggest at least 1 s.f. of nest space per 4 birds.

Mixed species in the same coop? Chickens do not do well with wet bedding. And ducks foul the water and bedding very quickly. If you have a drake, he can kill your female chickens if he tries to breed them.