Wire brooder into coop, or put them up in the shed

[FenDruadin]

Okay, guys. I have tomorrow only to finish putting together a solution for the chickens that got smoked out of the shed. I can spend the day priming & painting the interior of the shed to cover the smoke damage (same shed where I keep feed--in bins--and hay and equipment), or I can convert a wire rabbit-hutch-style brooder into a tiny coop.

Questions: They are six little silkies. I don't mind them in the shed, and I can cut a pop door for them. I sweep out the straw bedding every week or so to keep the floor clean. Any reason this is a problem? Or would it be better for them to have a small coop?

If I convert the wire brooder to a coop, more questions: It has a wire floor, and the back half is wood on the back & sides, but the front half is wire all the way around. Plenty of ventilation... probably not enough insulation. I can put plywood down on the floor, but there will be gaps unless I invest more time than I have in cutting the pieces just so. Can I just bed it heavily in straw and call it good, even with the gaps? Also, do I need to build another wall to subdivide the back section (i.e., there would be a section of the back that would not be open to the wire front)? It measures 38 inches by 56 inches--is this enough space for six silkies to sleep in?

Remember, I have one day to do everything, so it needs to be simple. Shed (I KNOW I can do it in a day) or rabbit hutch? Advantages of each approach? Challenges I haven't thought of?

Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm sure I am not seeing it totally right, but can you temporarily put a draft/breeze guard around the bottom of that brooder while you work on something permanent? My brooder is in the coop. I put plastic around the bottom 12" or so and let it go all the way to the ground. It overlaps the ground a bit and bedding winds up on it. I don't know what your weather is like for the next several days, but in North Carolina you should never need insulation, just good ventilation and a way to keep then out of the wind.

You don''t mention how old they are. I assume they are old enough that they can handle the temperatures you'll see if they are out of the wind.

My grow-out coop is a raised coop with a wire bottom. I used old metal from a shed roof that blew off in a thunderstorm and made a wind guard all the way to the ground. I also blocked the wire sides to keep a draft out. I had 5-1/2 week olds in there when my overnight low was around 24 F. I'll open it back up this summer when I need to keep it cooler, but I figure this is good for all winter now. It does have a whole lot of ventilation up high, above where they roost.

 

[FenDruadin]

Thank you! That's actually very helpful. I hadn't thought about a simple draft guard, rather than trying to make a solid floor.

Our winters are mild, so I guess it doesn't have to be extreme. I've decided to go ahead and set up the brooder as a coop. It has the advantage of giving me a place to put their food and water that the ducks can't get to (or won't, at least, because they won't want to go up the ramp). I was actually able to get some of the work done today, so that all that's left is to attach the roof (already have the pieces ready) and build a ramp. I may even have time to prime and paint the inside of the shed as well & start getting it set back up the way I like it.

The silkies are about 9 weeks, and they've been outside since around 5 weeks, so they are accustomed to the temps. They've been in the shed most of that time, but they've been in the wire brooder, even without a draft guard, since we had the fire in the shed a week ago, and they've done just fine. But I want to make sure they'll continue to be fine when we have ice storms and other such cold weather. I'm also planning, when I take the old roof off, to get in there and install a perch for when they're ready to roost.

Thanks for the help. I'm much clearer on what I need to do tomorrow now.