using a new coop as a brooder??

[J garden chicks]

We are building a new coop and thought if I closed off the coop that perhaps I could rig a heat lamp within the coop. It will have nice large doors to access the inside. Has anyone done this> The coop floorspace is 20+ square ft.

 

[azygous]

Actually, brooding in a coop or barn was common practice before people began treating chickens as pets. The indoor brooder has become so accepted that now folks feel guilty for doing something wrong when they consider brooding chicks outdoors when this practice is actually more beneficial in many ways than brooding in your house.

I brood in my covered, secure run, and the chicks become cold hardened early on, feathering faster, and weaned off heat sooner. When brooded with adult chickens watching their development, the chicks become full members of the flock from the start, and integration is a breeze.

I write about how I brood in my run here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

 

[J garden chicks]

Actually, brooding in a coop or barn was common practice before people began treating chickens as pets. The indoor brooder has become so accepted that now folks feel guilty for doing something wrong when they consider brooding chicks outdoors when this practice is actually more beneficial in many ways than brooding in your house.

I brood in my covered, secure run, and the chicks become cold hardened early on, feathering faster, and weaned off heat sooner. When brooded with adult chickens watching their development, the chicks become full members of the flock from the start, and integration is a breeze.

I write about how I brood in my run here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

thank you! Your article is great! My run has a roof but the walls are hardware wire so a bit more exposed... The coop I could close off and install a heat source, or I could wall with plastic around the wire and create heat source area... hmmm rough sketch below

 

[azygous]

You have pretty mild climate, so your main concern would be security against predators. Poultry mesh doesn't qualify as predator-proof material, and it also allows chicks to stick their heads through the mesh and getting decapitated by something on the outside.

My baby chicks are fine in temps down in the low 30s as long as they have protection against cold drafts and their heat source to duck under to warm themselves. On nice days in the 70s, even chicks a week old rarely spend time under their heat source. They are hardier than most people realize.

 

[J garden chicks]

You have pretty mild climate, so your main concern would be security against predators. Poultry mesh doesn't qualify as predator-proof material, and it also allows chicks to stick their heads through the mesh and getting decapitated by something on the outside.

My baby chicks are fine in temps down in the low 30s as long as they have protection against cold drafts and their heat source to duck under to warm themselves. On nice days in the 70s, even chicks a week old rarely spend time under their heat source. They are hardier than most people realize.

I am using hardware cloth 1/2"

 

[ValerieJ]

I did brood 3 chicks in a new coop with a heat lamp. It was set up in my garage at the time, and then moved out when they were 8 weeks old. It was a pretty small coop, and I didn't have great access to them, so they are my most aloof hens. But, they are sweet because of their breed, Australorp.

 

[bobbi-j]

Rather than a heat lamp, check out this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

Yes, it's long - don't feel you need to read the whole thing. Just start at the beginning to get the concept. I have raised chicks in the coop from day one for years here in MN. It can get pretty cool in the spring. A couple of years ago, I decided to try the MHP method and liked it so well I won't go back to a heat lamp. With the size of your coop, I'm afraid that the chicks wouldn't be able to get out of the heat if they needed to. I don't know what your temperatures are like there in CA, but I'm afraid it would be easy to overheat the chicks. I found that my MHP raised chicks got used to the cold and feathered out more quickly than when I used a heat lamp. I also had fewer losses, and didn't have to worry about the light burning out in the night.

 

[J garden chicks]

thank you! I will look into that. The coop platform area is a bit bigger than in diagram and a bit taller, should end up with 6 chickens... I will look at materials needed and make a plan! I think they will be happier in the coop than in a box in the garage. I can later let them play in the run as they get older on sunny days for a bit here and there. Thanks for the help