Chick Brooder Inside Coop

[Bush84]

I was thinking about raising chicks next spring. I am currently working on my coop which is a sectioned off space in a shed. It's fully functional just not done. Anyways I digress...can I put my brooder in the coop. It's a very large space and has electric. I also have other sheds so I looking for whatever will ease transition to the rest of the flock. My brooder is a large file cabinet turned on its back with the drawers removed. It doesn't have a lid but could easily make one. I was thinking that if I I can expose the flock to the chicks in a safe fashion as soon ask get them it'd be an easy transition once it's time to let them out. Is this perceived benefit an actual benefit or just a perceived benefit? Any downsides?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I was thinking about raising chicks next spring. I am currently working on my coop which is a sectioned off space in a shed. It's fully functional just not done. Anyways I digress...can I put my brooder in the coop. It's a very large space and has electric. I also have other sheds so I looking for whatever will ease transition to the rest of the flock. My brooder is a large file cabinet turned on its back with the drawers removed. It doesn't have a lid but could easily make one. I was thinking that if I I can expose the flock to the chicks in a safe fashion as soon ask get them it'd be an easy transition once it's time to let them out. Is this perceived benefit an actual benefit or just a perceived benefit? Any downsides?

The short answer is, yes, it is entirely possible to brood chicks within the confines of an existing coop that is housing older/other birds. Yes, starting them out in a situation where the flock can see and hear the chicks and adjust to them being present prior to being old enough to move out of the brooder is beneficial in the integration process.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That’s exactly what I do. This is my brooder in the coop. It has wire sides so they really can see each other but integration is a snap.

 

[azygous]

Brooding chicks in your coop or your run, as I do, is far superior to brooding in the house. The benefits to allowing the chicks to be part of the flock by proximity from day one is immeasurable. There is no downside that I have experienced as long as the chicks are secure.

And, yes, integration is a breeze.

 

[Folly's place]

There are two possible issues that could come up. Ambient temperature variations need to be considered; the chicks need enough room to get very near or far from the heat source as needed. Also, chicken wire isn't a good thing to use, as tiny chicks can get through it, and so can predators if the coop is opened during the day. Otherwise, it's the best way to integrate the babies. Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ll take a shot at a pro-con summary from my perspective.

PRO

They are not in your house. The can be noisy.

They are not in the house. Unless you take good care of poop management and keep the brooder dry they can stink.

They are not in the house. The biggest issue to me is the dust, even if someone in the house or a visitor is not allergic to chickens. Chicks create a lot of dust. Part of that is from dander which comes from shedding down and bits of skin. Part if it is scratching dry bedding enough to create dust. If the poop gets dry it gets scratched into dust. Not only does that dust get on things, you are breathing it.

If they are raised with adult chickens in the coop, integration is a lot easier. That’s been mentioned several times.

They acclimate better to cold weather. By making the brooder big enough so you just heat one end and let the rest cool off, they wind up playing all over the brooder and get used to being in cooler temperatures. They feather out faster. I’ve had chicks under six weeks go through overnight lows below freezing with no supplemental heat. They toughen up faster.

They are exposed to the adults at a young age. They start working on flock immunities early on. For many different things starting early is an advantage.

A properly designed brooder can make a great place to isolate a chicken or maybe serve as a broody buster when it is not being used as a brooder.

CON

They are not in your house. If you are trying to socialize them and make them pets that is easier to do when you have good access. You can still do it with chicks in the coop but you have to work a little harder.

As Mary mentioned you are faced with fluctuating outside temperatures. It’s practically impossible to keep the entire brooder a perfect temperature for them, if a perfect temperature even exists. They are all individuals so some like it warmer, some cooler. That’s handled by keeping one end warm enough or too warm and letting the rest cool off so they can find their own comfort zone. In really hot weather some people may have trouble cooling the brooder enough. In one ridiculous heat wave I turned the daytime heat off at 2 days and the overnight heat off at 5 days. It was just too hot and I was afraid I was going to cook them. I was heating up the coop too for the adults when they really didn’t need that in the heat wave. I’ve put chicks straight from the incubator into my brooder in the coop with the outside temperatures below freezing. I took care to enclose the brooder enough to keep one end warm enough but there was ice on the far end. Temperature management can be more of an issue outside.

GENRERAL CONCERNS

If you brood outside you need to be aware of and manage predator issues. Unless you build your brooder properly snakes, rats, or maybe something else can get inside and kill your chicks. In the house, pet cats, dogs, or even a small child could be a risk. You may have different predator issues inside and out, but you have to manage them wherever you are.

 

[DanEP]

I started chicks in an unheated greenhouse last January in a brooder and they did fine. I just kept a clip on light with a 100 watt bulb on one end of the brooder and let them regulate themselves to the heat and they did fine. next batch goes in the coop. I would let the big girls in the green house every day and when it was time to integrate them they already knew each other and pecking order was settled the first day. You may have to work a little harder too socialize them but to me it's far better than having them in the house.

 

[lazy gardener]

I was thinking about raising chicks next spring. I am currently working on my coop which is a sectioned off space in a shed. It's fully functional just not done. Anyways I digress...can I put my brooder in the coop. It's a very large space and has electric. I also have other sheds so I looking for whatever will ease transition to the rest of the flock. My brooder is a large file cabinet turned on its back with the drawers removed. It doesn't have a lid but could easily make one. I was thinking that if I I can expose the flock to the chicks in a safe fashion as soon ask get them it'd be an easy transition once it's time to let them out. Is this perceived benefit an actual benefit or just a perceived benefit? Any downsides?

Absolutely. The coop is by far the best place to brood your chicks. Please enjoy this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors