We *may* move the entire outdoor brooder inside the electric once the Ideal Dozen are off heat, but I'd like to get them outdoors in some fashion. A while back we bought this dog pen at a thrift store on the premise that it held much more than $10 in materials alone. Each of 5 panels is just over 2x5.
I improved the security of the wire-to-PVC attachment today by adding a lot more zipties and experimented with potential arrangement of the panels, resulting in this test layout:
The obvious points are:
How do I securely attach the ends of the panels to the brooder?
I was at a loss until I went to gather eggs, untying the cords that keep the electric net end posts together so that I could get in. I could pierce the tarp and use wire or cord to secure the ends of the panels to the sides of the coop.
How do I securely close the gate?
I guess if cords are good enough for the electric net they're good enough for this?
What do I do to keep chicks from just flying out?
I have some thin garden netting that would be about as effective as tissue paper against aerial predators but ought to serve to keep chicks in. I could probably find a way to support it at roughly the level of the coop roof -- back-breaking, but high enough for me to get in.
I'm not looking for predator-proof, just the means of introducing chicks to the outside ground while I supervise.
Any better ideas than the ones I've had so far?
I improved the security of the wire-to-PVC attachment today by adding a lot more zipties and experimented with potential arrangement of the panels, resulting in this test layout:
The obvious points are:
How do I securely attach the ends of the panels to the brooder?
I was at a loss until I went to gather eggs, untying the cords that keep the electric net end posts together so that I could get in. I could pierce the tarp and use wire or cord to secure the ends of the panels to the sides of the coop.
How do I securely close the gate?
I guess if cords are good enough for the electric net they're good enough for this?
What do I do to keep chicks from just flying out?
I have some thin garden netting that would be about as effective as tissue paper against aerial predators but ought to serve to keep chicks in. I could probably find a way to support it at roughly the level of the coop roof -- back-breaking, but high enough for me to get in.
I'm not looking for predator-proof, just the means of introducing chicks to the outside ground while I supervise.
Any better ideas than the ones I've had so far?
