Outdoor brooder for chicks.

[shmccarthy]

I ordered my incubator and I want to start construction on a permanent outdoor brooder for the chicks. Has anyone done this? I want it to be in the run/coop with my adult chickens. I also can't have it cost too much money. My entire coop is made from repurposed materials and want to do that (for the most part) with my new brooder. I originally used a large 55 gallon Tupperware container but I don't want to use that in my coop. I have a lot of sheets of plywood in my garage as well as a lot of 2x4s and insulation from when we finished my hunting blind. Any ideas? Has anyone done an outdoor brooder or have a permanent one in their coop? Pictures? I just want to brainstorm some ideas.

 

[IndigoChicken12]

You could section off a part in your coop or run with some wood. You could also add a wire front so that your existing flock can see them. I dunno, just thinking out loud here...

 

[shmccarthy]

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I would like the adults to be able to see them to make integrating easier. I have a part sectioned off for my bantams and as a breeding area, I might put the brooder in there...

 

[shmccarthy]

I think I figured it out. I have a small dog house, 6x6, that's where my current layers lay their eggs. Because I am adding a new coop for the chickens, I decided to turn that into my brooder. It has 1 foot thick walls that are insulated so the inside is 5x5. The roof is shingled and it has a small door on it. I cut off part of the roof today and unshingled it. Tomorrow I am going to the hardware store and buying hinges for the "doors" that I am cutting out of the roof. There will be a roof on each side that opens up so I have access to the brooder on each side. My coop is extremely predator proof and haven't had an incident yet. I will post pictures when finished.

 

[trooper]

I am adding an area approx 3'x3' to the side of my coop at the time.It will have a doorway going from the main coop into this area.I'm placing a door in from the outside so that they can go in and out.I'm placing chicken wire in areas so that they can see the big girls and get use to them.I have electricity so that I can put a heat lamp in it.I don't incubate but I can place my can place my new peeps in there when I get them.I plan on posting pictures when I get done.

 

[MoonShadows]

After brooding in our basement, I will never do that again! The chicken dust covered everything! I am thinking of building a brooding area in my coop, too. We have a poop board about 3 feet off the ground below the roosts. I'm thinking I can easily frame a wall on hinges under this area, apply chicken wire, and brood there. Like someone already mentioned, it would give the old-timers plenty of time to get to know the new girls on the block before letting them get together.

 

[Rnbwbrite1207]

My coop is about three feet off of the ground. I enclosed tge bottom with removable panels and us this as a brooder in summer months. There is a sand bottom that the chicks really enjoy but I have a girlfriend who just built a small tractor and left it in her coop and after six weeks would put it outside during the day and inside at night.

 

[trooper]

This is the outside I have a bottom door which I will close when I have Little ones

Side view,the windows will have glass placed in them for the cold weather

This is where the inside meets.I will place screen in for summer and windows in for cold.this way I can keep it heated.See the light socket in the top right hand corner.This is for the heat lamp

See how deep it is.this way they have room to grow and they can see the older ones and vice-a-versa.As I do more I hope to post the results.I'm looking for ideas and what you think