Show me your brooders in your coop!

[jreardon1918]

We are going to get chicks this spring. the plan is to put the brooder in the run. I will leave up the winter plastic. Use a MHP. So I am very interested to see more coop and run brooders. I was thinking it would go about where the straw is in this picture.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We are going to get chicks this spring. the plan is to put the brooder in the run. I will leave up the winter plastic. Use a MHP. So I am very interested to see more coop and run brooders. I was thinking it would go about where the straw is in this picture.

My run brooder with MHP: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

 

[wleigh1021]

If you are planning on having them out there is possible cold temps plan on buying a water heater. I find that a nipple waterer and no waste feeder are key to keeping them clean and low stink...they make a mess of everything!!

 

[karenmragan]

I fully support your decision to brood outside and use a heat plate. I have added some hoops and plastic onto a pre-existing raised bed. I have a three sided box ("huddle box") inside where the heat plate goes. Hope this helps!

 

[Relleoms]

Here was my brooder the last 2 years in a 6’x8’ coop (we’ve since moved into a larger coop but I plan to use the same setup). The crate is 3 rabbit cages zip tied together to make one long unit-they open from the top and/or the side. The cardboard door allows the little ones to escape from the bigs. I’ve found the heat plate from premier 1 works better in colder ambient temperatures (they offer a switch to adjust the temp which I suggest). I use cardboard on 3 sides of the heater to create a huddle box of sorts to block drafts. The flock was integrated at 6 weeks both years. It has worked great for us!

 

[NNYchick]

I love brooding in the coop. My first hatch I didn’t put in coop till 4 weeks old and it was a nightmare getting them integrated. Then I read the article on brooding in the coop and never went back. I put them out at 1 week Old and after a few days they are going in and out of the brooder checking things out and by 3 weeks they spend most of the day hanging with the flock. My adult silkies don’t fly so I can get away with just using a dog pen.

 

[gimmie birdies]

My chicks are 7.5 weeks along now, but they are separate from my hens in their own coop/green house. I have 2 small end tables with a pole suspending a light, (tied and stapled down) with a safe-ty cage on it, above that is a baby gate, to suspend boards to hold in the heat. I have small beds for the chicks to sit on that I change every day, that have mini quilts on them. They are very spoiled. The mini quilts are second hand place mats. the pic is an old one. you can see part of one of the end tables.

 

[aart]

My adult silkies don’t fly so I can get away with just using a dog pen.

Was going to ask about that.
How wide are the spaces on the dog pen?
The chicks can get thru them?

 

[NNYchick]

Was going to ask about that.
How wide are the spaces on the dog pen?
The chicks can get thru them?

They are about 2-3” wide the chicks can move freely between them till around 4 weeks old but by then I usually have it down because they are spending most of the time with the adults. Once I see they are eating continuously out of the adult feeders I take the pen down and just leave their feeding station up, just to be sure there are enough to prevent bullying and mama heating pad till about 6 weeks by then they are sleeping with the adults.

 

[Toothpick]

There’s a chicken door on the right that leads out to a run within the run so they can interact outside with the big hens before turning them loose together.