ChitownChick
Chirping
I posted this in the coop design forum, but realized it may be more useful here.
My husband and I are designers and fabricators, so we decided to take our brooder to the next level this year. It came out really well so I thought I'd share with you guys!
We keep the chicks in a spare bedroom that I use as a dressing room/big closet. Last year I realized that the chicks were *far* too dusty to keep near my clothing unchecked, so this year we created an air-filtering hood above the brooder. Despite it's simplicity (just a box fan and HEPA filter!) it is amazingly effective, it even eliminates most of the odor. I got the idea from this Youtube video. Supposedly this filter eliminates 90% of airbourne particles and I have to say my experience confirms this.
We welded together a metal lid and braised on some hardware cloth and latch to keep kitties away. Welded on some hinges and latch too.
Recently we added a plexiglass window which helps us visually bond with the babies! Them being able to see us has got them used to us much much faster. It also means that the cats can stress out the chicks easier (just the sight of a cat will frighten the babies), so we have to keep the cats out.
We always enrich the brooder with an "obstacle course" of perches, ramps, and platforms. I find this helps the chicks develop some athleticism that continues into adulthood, promotes fitness and playfulness that helps them as adults.
This large brooder also doubles as our quarantine pen, at which point we call it the "re-coop" lol or "re-cooperator" (we have to remove all the tiny perches and such when we bring a big ol' hen into it, obviously).
Hope you guys like it, plz let me know if you have any ideas for improvements (I want it to be easier to clean), or if you want more detailed instructions of how we made it! I consider myself an "inventor" and I find homesteading to be my number one inspiration, so please let me know if there are any issues you have that need solving etc. It's great for me to learn and I'd like to be helpful to the community
Also, quick poll: if I were to create a brooder/re-coop kit, that has all the pre-fab parts and instructions to assemble, would that be a product y'all would be interested in? If so, about how much would you pay for it? Trying to find a way to make this into a little business
I think the air filter is what makes this design super choice and special.
My husband and I are designers and fabricators, so we decided to take our brooder to the next level this year. It came out really well so I thought I'd share with you guys!
We keep the chicks in a spare bedroom that I use as a dressing room/big closet. Last year I realized that the chicks were *far* too dusty to keep near my clothing unchecked, so this year we created an air-filtering hood above the brooder. Despite it's simplicity (just a box fan and HEPA filter!) it is amazingly effective, it even eliminates most of the odor. I got the idea from this Youtube video. Supposedly this filter eliminates 90% of airbourne particles and I have to say my experience confirms this.
We welded together a metal lid and braised on some hardware cloth and latch to keep kitties away. Welded on some hinges and latch too.
Recently we added a plexiglass window which helps us visually bond with the babies! Them being able to see us has got them used to us much much faster. It also means that the cats can stress out the chicks easier (just the sight of a cat will frighten the babies), so we have to keep the cats out.
We always enrich the brooder with an "obstacle course" of perches, ramps, and platforms. I find this helps the chicks develop some athleticism that continues into adulthood, promotes fitness and playfulness that helps them as adults.
This large brooder also doubles as our quarantine pen, at which point we call it the "re-coop" lol or "re-cooperator" (we have to remove all the tiny perches and such when we bring a big ol' hen into it, obviously).
Hope you guys like it, plz let me know if you have any ideas for improvements (I want it to be easier to clean), or if you want more detailed instructions of how we made it! I consider myself an "inventor" and I find homesteading to be my number one inspiration, so please let me know if there are any issues you have that need solving etc. It's great for me to learn and I'd like to be helpful to the community
Also, quick poll: if I were to create a brooder/re-coop kit, that has all the pre-fab parts and instructions to assemble, would that be a product y'all would be interested in? If so, about how much would you pay for it? Trying to find a way to make this into a little business
