New brooder for new chicks!

[ChicksNPigs]

So my babies should be here this week, which meant we needed a brooder.
Last year, the man quickly put together a 4x4x2 box for the cornish crosses I cam home with- which worked well for them, but wasn't a good permanent solution.
This year, since I was doubling the chicks, we thought that wouldn't be big enough. So he built me this:

It's 8x3x4, and on wheels, so I can roll it to another part of the room for cleaning.
I'm so excited (and I think he secretly is, too!)

 

[lolalucy]

Very Nice!

 

[Happy Chooks]

It's perfect. Don't forget to take pics of the chicks in it.

 

[The Chicken People]

II am making dh put wheels on mine tonight! Thanks for the idea!

 

[ChicksNPigs]

Wheels were a must for me since due to the size, there was NO way I was going to be able to move it myself. We also had a bunch of old linoleum from another project, so it got lined with that to help make cleaning easier (and hopefully it'll last longer this way).

 

[felidaet]

I am going to build a brooder a similar size later this month. Wheels is an interesting idea.

I am wondering if you are going to be able to keep it warm enough with all of the hardware cloth, especially the first couple of weeks. Have you tested it yet to temperature?

 

[ChicksNPigs]

I have tested it. Only one long side and one short side (and two holes in the top) are hardware cloth, the rest is linoleum-covered OSB. In addition, this will be kept indoors until the weather warms up, as it's far too cold here to put them even in the unheated garage.

 

[The Chicken People]

I draped a blanket around the back and two sides to keep any drafts out of it! Mine is hardware cloth on all four sides!