Outside Brooder?

SKYLINE

Songster
11 Years
Aug 6, 2011
81
152
134
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
My Coop
My Coop
Hi guys! I'm 75% done with my very first chicken coop! And I have a couple of questions about raising some chickens. I've been doing a ton of research online and I'm getting everything prepared the main thing I'm running into is the brooding stage. Everyone's saying to keep them inside for the first couple of weeks and then move them to the coop but I can't really do that. I live in a smallish 2 bedroom house there's no space inside. We have a huge fenced backyard which will be perfect for them when they are older but the main thing is. I can't have crazy little chicks in my home for weeks. The only room which might be barely big enough is the kitchen but that's a no go (says, my fiance). Jumping to the point, Can I set up a brooder outside in the chicken coop. The coop is made of 2 parts, there's the interior or (hen house). Which is 4ftx4ft and there's the run which is 6ft wide x8ft long (Its weird but it works out.). Now the interior of this coop is fully closed in and locked so they can't escape it. But its also kind of a large space for such small chicks. What will I need to make this work? any ideas or product suggestions would be nice. I'm confused because some people say YES get a heat light its great then people say NO get the heat bulb that doesn't give off light at all. I dont know what's best. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
 
Brooding outdoors makes perfect sense, imo. A brooder plate (sold by Brinsea and Permier, for example) is excellent. There's also what is known here as a Mama Heating Pad - use the search function for that thread (its a biggie) but that's another alternative that may be worth considering.
 
Thanks guys! You know I had seen this Brooder Plate somewhere on youtube but I couldn't find it. Does it have a temp gauge or anything like that? I know you have to lift the top at different stages but would I need this alone or also accompany it with a light. And I can totally section the coop off and go with that method. I'm in Louisiana I think our harsh cold and freezes are mostly gone for now.
 
Is it a walk in coop? How many chickens were you thinking of total? Sexed chicks or getting double what you’re aiming for and do you have plans for the cockerels?

So far I’ve used large plastic totes to start my brooding in, with heat plates. I then moved them into a 4x4 brooder at 2 weeks old (still with the plates) until 6-10 weeks... but that’s over winter and it’s fairly cold still here (Canada). I’ve been doing groups of 13 chicks, and you will be surprised how quickly they can fill up a 4x4 space... and how quickly they can make it smelly too! (So much bedding, so many bedding changes!)

Have to agree with the fiance on the no go in the kitchen... they smell, make tons of dust (it’s REALLY amazing) then they start escaping and flying out of it to poop on other surfaces (not nice in the kitchen, I’m sure)

Best wishes, and I hope you’ll keep us updated on your chickens. Coop pics? Louisiana is my second favorite state I’ve visited, (Georgia is still #1 for me, probably because it was my first USA visit as an adult, and DragonCon)
 
@Kris5902 It's a walk-in yes and I really want 8 but space wise I was told to shoot for 6 so ill do that. As for a rooster, I'm really debating it. Later down the line ill for sure want some but there wouldn't be any need for him now I think. But I'm getting all hens, there's a possibility of getting a male surely since its coming from a big hatchery but I wouldn't mind if it happened that way. But I've spent the past 15 mins reading a thread on making your own brooder plate so I may go that route. I'll post a couple pics when tomorrow of the whole thing.
 
Thanks guys! You know I had seen this Brooder Plate somewhere on youtube but I couldn't find it. Does it have a temp gauge or anything like that? I know you have to lift the top at different stages but would I need this alone or also accompany it with a light. And I can totally section the coop off and go with that method. I'm in Louisiana I think our harsh cold and freezes are mostly gone for now.
Take a look on Amazon. No temp gauges. I believe the Brinsea has two height settings (it may be a contact brooder - not sure), whereas the Premier has a number of incremental notches, so you can raise the plate in smaller increments (I usually set the back legs lower than the front ones to create a heat gradient after the first 2-3 days). No lights needed.
 
The bigger the brooder, the better (within reason), imo. It allows you to introduce tree branches and other distractions which makes any pecking etc less likely.
 
@Kris5902 It's a walk-in yes and I really want 8 but space wise I was told to shoot for 6 so ill do that. As for a rooster, I'm really debating it. Later down the line ill for sure want some but there wouldn't be any need for him now I think. But I'm getting all hens, there's a possibility of getting a male surely since its coming from a big hatchery but I wouldn't mind if it happened that way. But I've spent the past 15 mins reading a thread on making your own brooder plate so I may go that route. I'll post a couple pics when tomorrow of the whole thing.
Looking forward to your updates!
 

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