New Coop Tips

[Blooie]

The basic idea of brooding outside is to let the chicks do all the work about regulating temperature. The problem is that the temperatures vary so much from day to night or even day to day you cannot keep the brooder a perfect temperature all the time. So you provide enough heat at the coolest time in one area and another area cool enough in the warmest temperatures and let the chicks go where they wish. I put chicks into my 3’ x 6’ brooder in my coop straight from the incubator or post office, even if the outside temperature is below freezing. I use heat lamps and keep one end toasty so they have a warm place to go to. The far end of my brooder may have frost in it. The middle of summer gives the opposite, you can get it too warm, so I use lower wattage heat lamps plus the brooder is big enough they can get away from the heat. Bloiee uses a heating pad formed into a cave. You can get some good info on her method by following the links under her post. Other people use other methods. The main thing is to have one area they can go to if they want to warm up and an area they can go to if they need to cool off.

That’s really about it. The brooder needs to be predator-proof and needs to protect the chicks from severe weather. I really don’t know any difference in a brooder in the coop or another outbuilding versus one in the house. I’ll give a photo of mine.

Hey, @Ridgerunner I'm so glad you posted this so the OP could see outdoor brooding with both methods....the heat lamp and Mama Heating Pad! We sorta cross posted there - I need to learn to pay more attention to that "new post" thingy that pops up on the bottom of the screen!

 

[RonC]

Mine were a week old when I got them and kept them inside for another week while I built them a brooder outside. Regulating the temp in an outside brooder is a little bit trickier than inside but no more mess and noise inside. Just make sure the warm spot is warm enough on the coldest nights. If you have room for them to escape the heat they will take care of not overheating. I like Blooie's idea with her chicken cave/mama heating pad but mine must have already been used to the light and wouldn't use it so I went back to the light. I do live in a warmer area and started a little later this year so they are already in the coop/run at 4 1/2 weeks. I did so many things differently this time around thanks to new ideas and knowing they are not so delicate after the first week or two. Raising chicks will test your ingenuity between keeping them warm and finding ways to keep the bedding out of their food and water. Some are friendly and others are a challenge. They all have their own personality. Since my weather is so warm here I have a small coop(30 x 48") for them to sleep in only. Instead of poop boards I'm going to cover the floor with PDZ and give that a try instead of the deep litter method.

 

[BruceAZ]

I would like for it to be large. I only have 6 chicks right now, but from what I've read I will most likely be getting more. I would also like it to be easy to clean. I do not want it to be moveable. What else do you have that makes it easy to clean?

just be sure if your city or hoa will allow .. i'm limited to 5 hens for my lot size. so always check the laws/ordinances and CC&R first

what type of floor do you want to use.

plain dirt? sand? concrete? etc..

you heard of Epoxy floor? if you use concrete.. apply epoxy on it..

i work on cars in my garage so a lot of automotive fluid spill.. it's pretty easy to clean

but if you use pine shavings or other type of materials to cover the floor you might be fine

i only have 5 chickens and so my coop is not that big.. i coated the floor of the coop (removable) with 3 layer of waterproof finish + pine shavings.. pretty easy to clean

 

[flyin-lowe]

I built exterior nest boxes on mine and love it. I also built the 5 gallon bucket feeder with the 90 degree PVC elbows. Those cut my feed cost way down. There is little to no waste now. I also made a 5 gallon water jug waterer with 2 horizontal nipples on it. Now I only have to feed and water every week or so depending on how much free range time they get. There is a thread on this site showing the feeders, dirt cheap and simple to build.