Well for the first addition to our little homestead we decided to try our hand at raising some chickens. I started by researching different breeds and we decided that Speckled Sussex chicks looked like a good fit for our family. They are a medium sized bird that are great layers, heat/cold tolerant and are great with kids. The first thing I did prior to picking up the chicks was build their brooder. There are a lot of different designs out there but I thought a plastic bin looked like the easiest to make and keep clean. Here is how I built mine:
Material list:
1 - 106 qt plastic storage bin with lid (32" x 19" x 13")
1 - roll plastic chicken wire mesh
1- chicken feeder
1 - chicken waterer
1- Rent a Coop chicken brooder heating plate 12" x 12"
Pine chips
Puppy Pads
Rubber Draw Liner
Zip Ties
Utility Knife
Philips Head Screw Driver
The first thing I did was cut a large square out of the lid with the utility knife. Then using a Philips head screw driver I made several holes along the cut line to allow me to zip tie the chicken wire to the lid. I also used the utility knife to put a small slit in the side of the bin to allow the cord of the heater to plug into the wall.
Next, I lined the bottom of the bin with puppy pads, this will help absorb any moisture. Then I cut the rubber draw liner to size and laid that down on top of the puppy pads. The liner helps prevent Spraddle Leg, which can occur when chicks are on slippery surfaces. Finally I spread out 100% Pine chip bedding, other types of chips (especially cedar) can cause respiratory issues in birds.
The final step was to put in the feeder, waterer and heating plate. I used Rent a Coop brand products because they were very well rated on Amazon and reasonable priced. At first I tried a watering cup but the chicks kept standing on it and dumping water everywhere. So I scraped that idea and went with a basic waterer, which I put up on a stone block to help keep clean.
It was very easy to do and took me less than 1/2 hour to set up. The next day I went to the local feed store and picked up 8 chicks. The kids were so excited and boy were they cute! I couldn't believe at just a day old how they already acted like chickens lol. They were scratching around in the pine chips and peeping away. We make sure we are handling them often and getting them used to being around people. Right away I noticed that one behaved very differently than the others. He would stand up, puff his little chest out and call very loudly to the other chicks. My suspicions are that we have a little rooster on our hands but for now we will just have to watch and see how they grow.
I was a bit nervous because with the radiant heat from the heating plate it seemed like the brooder was not at the recommended temperature of 95 degrees. The chicks seemed happy though so I just watched their behavior to see if they were huddled together for warmth or on the opposite side of the brooder trying to escape the heat. It's amazing how such little puff balls can peep so angrily lol. Overall the brooder maintained the proper heat. We kept them in an unfinished space over the garage. There were a few nights where it was pretty cold and it did seem too cold for them in the brooder. I brought in a space heater for a few hours and pointed it towards the brooder for a few hours. That seemed to do the trick and provided just enough added warmth to make them comfortable.
Some final thoughts, I had high hopes when I started that this brooder would get us to 6 weeks and then I could move the chicks outside into their coop. That was definitely not the case. This size brooder was good for the chicks until about 3-4 weeks old. Up until that point I only had to change out the pads, liner and chips once a week. At about 4 weeks I had to change everything out every couple of days and the chicks were able to fly out. We ended up purchasing this small coop (pic below) and setting it up in the garage. It is set up perfectly for a brooder and gave everyone enough room for another couple of weeks until the chicks were old enough to move outside to their coop. If I had to do it all over again I probably would have skipped the plastic bin and bought this coup from the beginning. Granted it is significantly more expensive than the plastic tote brooder ($170 opposed to $10) but I do feel like it will serve other purposes in the future if someone gets sick and needs to quarantined from the others or if I end up with a broody hen.
Material list:
1 - 106 qt plastic storage bin with lid (32" x 19" x 13")
1 - roll plastic chicken wire mesh
1- chicken feeder
1 - chicken waterer
1- Rent a Coop chicken brooder heating plate 12" x 12"
Pine chips
Puppy Pads
Rubber Draw Liner
Zip Ties
Utility Knife
Philips Head Screw Driver
The first thing I did was cut a large square out of the lid with the utility knife. Then using a Philips head screw driver I made several holes along the cut line to allow me to zip tie the chicken wire to the lid. I also used the utility knife to put a small slit in the side of the bin to allow the cord of the heater to plug into the wall.
Next, I lined the bottom of the bin with puppy pads, this will help absorb any moisture. Then I cut the rubber draw liner to size and laid that down on top of the puppy pads. The liner helps prevent Spraddle Leg, which can occur when chicks are on slippery surfaces. Finally I spread out 100% Pine chip bedding, other types of chips (especially cedar) can cause respiratory issues in birds.
The final step was to put in the feeder, waterer and heating plate. I used Rent a Coop brand products because they were very well rated on Amazon and reasonable priced. At first I tried a watering cup but the chicks kept standing on it and dumping water everywhere. So I scraped that idea and went with a basic waterer, which I put up on a stone block to help keep clean.
It was very easy to do and took me less than 1/2 hour to set up. The next day I went to the local feed store and picked up 8 chicks. The kids were so excited and boy were they cute! I couldn't believe at just a day old how they already acted like chickens lol. They were scratching around in the pine chips and peeping away. We make sure we are handling them often and getting them used to being around people. Right away I noticed that one behaved very differently than the others. He would stand up, puff his little chest out and call very loudly to the other chicks. My suspicions are that we have a little rooster on our hands but for now we will just have to watch and see how they grow.
I was a bit nervous because with the radiant heat from the heating plate it seemed like the brooder was not at the recommended temperature of 95 degrees. The chicks seemed happy though so I just watched their behavior to see if they were huddled together for warmth or on the opposite side of the brooder trying to escape the heat. It's amazing how such little puff balls can peep so angrily lol. Overall the brooder maintained the proper heat. We kept them in an unfinished space over the garage. There were a few nights where it was pretty cold and it did seem too cold for them in the brooder. I brought in a space heater for a few hours and pointed it towards the brooder for a few hours. That seemed to do the trick and provided just enough added warmth to make them comfortable.
Some final thoughts, I had high hopes when I started that this brooder would get us to 6 weeks and then I could move the chicks outside into their coop. That was definitely not the case. This size brooder was good for the chicks until about 3-4 weeks old. Up until that point I only had to change out the pads, liner and chips once a week. At about 4 weeks I had to change everything out every couple of days and the chicks were able to fly out. We ended up purchasing this small coop (pic below) and setting it up in the garage. It is set up perfectly for a brooder and gave everyone enough room for another couple of weeks until the chicks were old enough to move outside to their coop. If I had to do it all over again I probably would have skipped the plastic bin and bought this coup from the beginning. Granted it is significantly more expensive than the plastic tote brooder ($170 opposed to $10) but I do feel like it will serve other purposes in the future if someone gets sick and needs to quarantined from the others or if I end up with a broody hen.
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