Where should I put my brooder?

[FluffAndFeather]

Hey friends! I am going to most likey use a heat lamp for my first time chick brooder. I’ve been keeping track of temps for where I should put the actual brooder box (garage vs closet vs shed) if you could let me know where you would put it that would be amazing




Time: 10:15am

Outside temp: 40° F in shade, 43° F in sun

Garage temp: 62° F

Shed temp: 36° F

Closet temp: 65° F



Time: 11:15am

Outside temp: 46°F in shade, 50°F in sun

Garage temp: 63°F

Shed temp: 45°F

Closet temp: 63°F



Time: 12:30pm

Outside temp: 53°F in shade, 57°F in sun

Garage temp: 60°F

Shed temp: 48°F

Closet temp: 63°F



Time: 6:00pm

Outside temp: 47°F (sun has set/is setting)

Garage temp: 67°F

Shed temp: 50°F

Closet temp: 67°F



Notable things:

-Garage does open a lot which may cause some drafts and drops in temperature, but I don’t know if this is a large problem if it’s a tad warmer

-Closet is closed all the time so I can’t tell if the airflow is good or not and it’s quite small

-Shed is harder to check on the chicks cuz it’s outside

-Predicted temperatures in March 2025 (when I get the chicks) are around 45-51 degrees high with lows of 20 degrees. Average temperatures March highs of 53°F and lows of 23°F.

-We are getting the chicks March 13, 2025

-I am most likely using a heat lamp (that may be a problem in some of these options?)

 

[rosemarythyme]

Closet is inappropriate due to lack of airflow. You don't mention how big the shed is but if it's large enough then the air volume should be enough.

Heat lamp I wouldn't use anywhere that's inside the house/attached to the house due to fire risk. Yes I've used one in the house before and it smelled like the room was going to go up in flames.

 

[NatJ]

Do you already have a coop built? If yes, try brooding the chicks there.

If the closet is inside your house, not there. If the closet is in the garage, probably still not there, because chicks need good air circulation.

Chicks will make large amounts of dust. Think about where you want that dust to be. Dust comes from their bedding, from their droppings as those dry out, but most importantly from the chicks themselves: from their down and feathers and skin. No amount of dust-free bedding and poop-scooping will keep the chicks from making dust.

Probably the garage or the shed.

If the shed, you need a big brooder and the heat lamp probably needs a 250 watt bulb or similar. Put the heat lamp relatively low in one corner of the brooder, so that area is always warm, even in the coldest weather. On warmer days, that corner will be too hot. Do not move the heat lamp, just have a LARGE brooder (3-6 feet long), so the chicks can move themselves away from the heat into the cooler parts of the brooder. Chicks are usually very good at this, regulating their own temperature by moving to areas that are warmer or cooler.

If you use the garage, set up the brooder pretty much the same way you would in the shed, but because the garage stays warmer, you might only need a 100 watt or 60 watt incandescent light bulb to provide the heat. The chicks still need space to get away from the heat when they choose.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Here's another suggestion now that I think about it... assuming these are your first chickens, why not brood them in the coop, if you can run electricity to it? Less mess and no need to transfer them out later on.

Edit: NatJ beat me to it!

 

[FluffAndFeather]

Closet is inappropriate due to lack of airflow. You don't mention how big the shed is but if it's large enough then the air volume should be enough.

Heat lamp I wouldn't use anywhere that's inside the house/attached to the house due to fire risk. Yes I've used one in the house before and it smelled like the room was going to go up in flames.

Ok thank you so much,

 

[FluffAndFeather]

Do you already have a coop built? If yes, try brooding the chicks there.

If closet is inside your house, not there. If the closet is in the garage, probably still not there, because chicks need good air circulation.

Chicks will make large amounts of dust. Think about where you want that dust to be. Dust comes from their bedding, from their droppings as those dry out, but most importantly from the chicks themselves: from their down and feathers and skin. No amount of dust-free bedding and poop-scooping will keep the chicks from making dust.

Probably the garage or the shed.

If the shed, you need a big brooder and the heat lamp probably needs a 250 watt bulb or similar. Put the heat lamp relatively low in one corner of the brooder, so that area is always warm, even in the coldest weather. On warmer days, that corner will be too hot. Do not move the heat lamp, just have a LARGE brooder (3-6 feet long), so the chicks can move themselves away from the heat into the cooler parts of the brooder. Chicks are usually very good at this, regulating their own temperature by moving to areas that are warmer or cooler.

If you use the garage, set up the brooder pretty much the same way you would in the shed, but because the garage stays warmer, you might only need a 100 watt or 60 watt incandescent light bulb to provide the heat. The chicks still need space to get away from the heat when they choose.

Ok! This was very helpful, thank you! No I don’t have a coop I’m getting my first chicks and we are starting with 3 because of our small property. Again thanks

 

[FluffAndFeather]

Here's another suggestion now that I think about it... assuming these are your first chickens, why not brood them in the coop, if you can run electricity to it? Less mess and no need to transfer them out later on.

Edit: NatJ beat me to it!

Thanks!

 

[NatJ]

Ok! This was very helpful, thank you! No I don’t have a coop I’m getting my first chicks and we are starting with 3 because of our small property. Again thanks

You're welcome.

I hope everything goes well!

Chicks grow very fast, and coops always seem to take longer than expected, so it is nice to have the coop before you get the chicks, if that is possible. That way you don't have chicks outgrowing the brooder while you frantically work on the coop. But if you do get the chicks first and then deal with the coop, that certainly can work too. Plenty of people do it in that order.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The chicks will be fully feathered at about 5 weeks old, so you'll need a coop for them at that point. That'll be the middle of May or so and they won't need added heat any more.

 

[FluffAndFeather]

You're welcome.

I hope everything goes well!

Chicks grow very fast, and coops always seem to take longer than expected, so it is nice to have the coop before you get the chicks, if that is possible. That way you don't have chicks outgrowing the brooder while you frantically work on the coop. But if you do get the chicks first and then deal with the coop, that certainly can work too. Plenty of people do it in that order.

Thanks! And that’s probably a good idea