It's that time of year to consider hatching and raising chicks. Like many others, we decided to try our hand at raising some chicks this year to add to or maybe even replace some of our current flock. We decided to go ahead and build a chick brooder instead of using cardboard or something like an aquarium or even a storage tote. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these types of brooders, building a large, wooden one seemed to be a better fit for us. We already have an old shed where we keep our rabbits, so building a brooder and placing it on a table in the shed seemed like a great idea to us.
The boys and I took Saturday to build the brooder and it came together in just a few hours. The materials are simple and cheap. We framed the brooder up by using 2x2 studs, making a simple box construction. We did add extra 2x2 framing in the middle also to prevent sagging with time. The box is covered with cheap OSB board we actually found off of the Internet. We made the box 4 feet long, two feet wide, and two feet tall. We left a small window at the top of the back and front side of the box for ventilation. We also added a large window to the door of the box for easy viewing. All of the openings were covered with 1/4" hardware cloth to keep out all of the unwanted critters that love chicken nuggets. Finally, by adding a heat lamp, feeder, waterer, thermometer, and some newspaper we are ready for our first run of chicks.
Since our brooder is actually in a shed, I did not attach the metal to the roof. I chose to place the metal on top of the box just in case we have a few leaks. This will provide a little more protection for the OSB boards. If you are considering building your own chicken brooder, check this one out. We are well pleased with how it has turned out.Taking the time to build a chicken brooder this weekend was definitely a good decision for us. The boys really enjoyed the hands on build and we all enjoyed some great family time. Later on in the season, we can throw a coat of paint on it. Now bring on the chicks.
