Starting over

[RichardK]

So i have been a member for some time, but when I lived in town it seems the rats enjoyed the eggs and tormenting my chickens a bit too much. Now I'm on 25 acres and decided to come back to the forum and raise some chickens, mostly for eggs, but I won't let the roosters I'm feeding go to waste so I will eat them ‍
Anyways... I've got 26 chickens in the coop right now, but had to build a new brooder for my young guys, and the 15 guineafowl that are on the way.
Here's the brooder I built today which cost me only $13 in materials

 

[Purple_grape84]

Welcome back! I like your brooder, congrats on the thriftyness. I especiallylike that they have a window. The next one I build I hope to incorporate something like that.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome back Richard looks like a solid brooder nice work better price any day huh we repurposed furniture crates for shipping into two coops here one was from medical equipment that cost 1 dozen eggs

 

[aart]

Looks a bit small.
Are those meat birds?
Where's the heat?

Welcome Back! @RichardK
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[RichardK]

Looks a bit small.
Are those meat birds?
Where's the heat?

Welcome Back! @RichardK
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

View attachment 1812692

2X4 feet, couple of roosts. Plenty of room to get them big enough to go outside. Those are a leg horn/red sex mix.
All my chickens will be meat chickens if they are rooster, aside from 2-4 big tough guys to warn me of predators.
I bought an incubator, so i will keep a constant group of layers on hand, and eat when done laying. They were just transferred to that brooder, so the heat wasnt yet on top. They are 4 weeks now, and indoors, so I'm trying to only heat at night right now.
I've also got 3 ducks in the outdoor coop

 

[RichardK]

My outside coop and run, still under construction. Coop is 10X12, and run is equivalent to 50X50

 

[RichardK]

I'd you haven't guessed yet I work with wood for a living, so everything is built tight, and "critter proof"

 

[50-45-1]

Hi richard, welcome!
Looks like a sturdy little broody box.
Does the front open so you can clean it out easily?
I agree with @aart that it might be small, but for a while for chicks in transition it will be great.
You already know this but chicks grow SO FAST. It wont be very long and they will need more room.
Your coop and pen look great also. Time will tell if it is built to deter what ever preditors you may have coming to visit.
In my case it is a constant battle outsmarting the preditors.
If you are going to have constant different age groops, do you plan to section off a couple different pens for age separation?
My one piece of advice is build that coop tight and solid with no gaps or holes. Use lots of hardware cloth. A chicken is defenseless at night.
Buy a couple game cameras to see what passes by when you are not looking. You might be supprised what you see.
I hope you post more photos and keep us updated on your progress.
Good luck!
And welcome to the backyard!

 

[RichardK]

There are coyotes and foxes out here, but I keep the .22 quite handy and have no issues with neighbors (neighbor) on shooting them at all.
I've seen raccoon crap in the "back 40" so I'm gonna stick a live trap back there tomorrow and see if I can get a few of the property

 

[aart]

My outside coop and run, still under construction.

Is that a skylight?
What are your plans for ventilation?

Probably too late, but a builder of your skill level could do this: