Building a Portable Brooder

Howdy folks! I built a portable brooder, and seeing as how the Badge Bit didn’t have all that much to go on, I thought I ought to make a post.

I was planning a stationary coop and run, in fact it’s mostly built, but it’s built for full-sized birds - not chicks. I was working to modify it, yet every design I could see or imagine … kinda sucked. I dragged my feet until the BB gave me ideas.

The size was dictated by three factors: the BB requirements, the fact that I already had the walls built for a garden bed project which went sideways, and the two foot length of all cedar fence boards.
My build was also limited because I didn’t want to spend any new money and exclusively reuse materials I had. I was close, but a few odds and ends came from The ReStore.

With these constraints, I set out to build a comfortable space for 12-20 chicks.

I liked the chicken tractor idea, I thought I could combine that style with the materials I had, I’m not disappointed.

Interior dimensions are just over 2 feet wide by 4 feet long. I was looking for a way to make a garden bed with as little material as possible, it failed for reasons, but left me with usable panels.
I largely stayed away from building an entire frame and instead only used a few pieces, letting the 7/8 cedar boards do the bulk of the work.

There’s an attached run a little wider and about 3 feet long. This was made from another Craigslist freebie pickup - it used to be an indoor cat cage.

I added an axle near one end of the coop. While it doesn’t perfectly balance the weight, it does allow for nice leverage and more or less centers the wheels, which accommodates for the run.
The first attempt on an axle was sad. Actually it’s the block in the vice, not the big 3x3 brace. That came after I couldn’t figure out how to affix the 4x4 block. It was helpful though in holding the axle while I tapped the threads into the new brace with the axle. The brace board goes all the way up to the frame below the lid, and is screwed into the support on the inside as well.

Rather than mucking about with nuts and washers, or having some sliding/lifting wheel mechanism, I opted to leave the end of the axle open, slide the wheel on for moves, then off when it’s in its new spot.

This is going to be moved in my mowable meadow, which has replaced my former lawn. Given its proximity to the house, I took the easy way and added heat lamps. I both had them and felt reassured using them. But not so reassured as to get complacent, I added a Bluetooth thermometer just in case.

I had hustled, all of this was done Monday and Tuesday before and after work, because Wednesday was the last day my local hatchery was going to have Bielefelders available. The folks at Dunlap Hatchery were great, super helpful, friendly, and got me exactly what I wanted and on my way in 7 minutes.

I brought home 12 pullets and 4 cockerels, I aim to start a bit of a breeding program.

I’m not sure I’ll ever brood chicks without a hen again, but if I do, after 4 days this method is a contender.

Things which would make this set up even better include:
- a wool hen/ off grid heat source
-> I’m thinking low voltage heat emitter pads as a hover brooder, set up in a wool hen
-> wool hen acts as a stand inside the brooder for a battery, small solar panel on top of the lid
- Better walls
-> mycoinsulated SIPs built with thin pine boards on the inside
-> build framing with bolts and brackets for disassembly and storage
- lighter lid
-> That thing is heavy. The metal is probably unnecessary, but does add another layer of wind/rain protection and the cedar adds a ton of insulation…
-> going back to “wool hen” though, I’d prefer a lid which let in more light while also being insulative and less massive. Oh and cheap/free while I’m at it.
- somewhere for them to roost
- some way for me to keep the food inside while moving (shelf?)

Questions?
Want to see more pictures? Of what?
What would you change?

I’m not sure I’ll ever brood chicks without a hen again, but if I do, after 4 days this method is a contender.

This! I do my best to get real moms to hatch and raise eggs. However, in the wild, a momma bird will try to hide or defend her nest from the group. Most Chicken coops are not at all well set up for a mom that wants to set a clutch of eggs. This little portable brooder you've built, seems as if it would make an excellent setting cube for a chicken.

For a setting mom, if you've got a secure spot that the brooder will fit in, having a couple of swing up props to hold the lid a couple of inches open for airflow and and a bit of light, could be all it needs.

As is, my one concern is that as the chicks grow, you will find it is too sealed and the humidity and air quality will become problems. So long as you can move the brooder often enough, that will be a big help. A quick fix for that, would be to build a pop-door with hardware cloth for most of it, rather than the solid wood you currently have.

Nicely done, and the chicks look happy, which is the most important metric!

I'm loving this idea! I would love to see the plans/sketch you used, to build it, if you're up to sharing, please?

Jay, thank you for your lovely response! Living in a desert all my life, I never thought of humidity. So far, it’s been hovering around 30% relative humidity and stays below 50% virtually all of the time.  

I’ve been lucky, my schedule has allowed me to move the chicks at least twice a day - once in the morning to fresh food, and another in the afternoon/before bed so they have a fresh area to sleep. Sometimes more often if I feel they need it

I’ve also been able to leave the lid open on several days, but need to strike a balance between airflow and shade.
Thankfully I have enough cat-cage panels to use like a pop door.



Carla, thank you for inspiring me to draw up a sketch. I started with a vague Justin Rhodes chicken tractor idea (these folks did a nice write up on it, and have good pictures https://ardaacres.com/justin-rhodes-diy-chicken-tractor/ ) and modified that in my mind, combining it with the material I already had on hand, and came up with this design.

This is definitely a V1 - there are significant optimization left to be made. As such, I’m not going into detail of materials, cut lists, etc. but I am happy to show my overall layout and setup!
Hope this provides some clarity and maybe even inspiration :)

Hi, Clay! Nicely done! Sure beats having to clean the floor half a dozen times per day, too! Thank you for the sketch - that definitely clarified the whole thing, in my mind. One word of caution, though - I've had 2 of those heat lamps explode over my baby birds. The first one was, I think, because it got too hot. The second was because as I was putting the waterer (I've been using all the same stuff you are - even in the same colors, lol) back in, after filling it, it slipped, in my hand, and a tiny drop of water hit the bulb. Not a big splash of water, just a drop, and the bulb exploded, all over my babies. Since the second one, I moved them to the bath tub, put a space heater on the floor, and kept the bathroom sauna-esque. Not a perfect solution, but an emergency, chilly weather one. We also have a couple of those 'mother hen' types, like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMTKY7H4/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3.  They're safer, but not warm enough, if you only have a very few, tiny chicks.

Explosions!? Horrific! I do hope everyone was okay

I knew there was a pic I forgot to include - I was worried about the big red heat bulbs for both the heat (some spots in my meadow were pretty badly burnt) as well as the light they put off at night. But I had plenty on hand.

I ended up switching for the ceramic ones, shipping took a few days but was worth it. I feel safer and the chickies all sleep a little quieter/more naturally.
And they’re recessed into the lamp housing, to boot - fingers crossed they’re protected and stout enough.

I really like those hovers kind!
I also really really like Jordan’s Wool Hen https://permies.com/t/177923/wool-hen-zero-electricity#1425903 and am wondering if I could make it just a teensy bit more electrified with a 12V heating pad on top (below the EPS foam, in that thread).

Actually though, I’ve turned off one of the bulbs, two yesterday, because our weather has been quite warm. In fact, I “built” an evaporative chick cooler - a wet towel over a mesh stand.
Comfortable chicks => happy chicks => healthier chickens - or so my reasoning goes!

Everyone was fine, though both times, my heart felt like it would jump out of my chest, lol. But, it definitely made for an extra drama & work-filled hour or so, getting all the babies to safety, cleaning up the mess (at least the shards & tiny slivers from the red bulbs are easy to find!), braining out a new solution... Not fun, but no one was hurt.

Ceramic bulbs? Oh, MYYYY!!! Those could be a wonderful addition to our set-up! Thank you!

I had a great time at the PTJ 2024 and came back just in time for graduation day!

I moved the chicks into a larger, stationary run with deep wood chip bedding. So far, they’re loving the ability to scratch and forage for bugs.

Overall, I’d call this brooder a success. Both my wife and several friends were able to move it alone while I/we were gone.

With a little care and intent, the brooder was perfectly suited to keeping the chicks happy.

If anyone in the Boise area would like to borrow it, please reach out :)