Built-In Wooden Brooder Boxes

In an underused part of our barn, some years ago we constructed built-in wooden brooder boxes. They turned out to be ideal for brooding baby poultry without eternally scrounging for cardboard boxes. Not only that, but we have used them at various times also to house broody hens and even to warm newborn Nubian goats.

Planning construction

We chose to construct the brooders against an interior wall, which serves as the back wall of the boxes. We partitioned off the area into four sections.

Having four separate brooder boxes gave us the flexibility to raise pullets separately from cockerels, or to separate different species (poults, keets, chicks) or differing age groups. However, each unit is independent and could be built as a single stand-alone brooder.

Since we were working within existing walls, and we wanted four units, each brooder could be only 34 inches wide. Had we started from scratch, we would have made each unit 4 feet wide and 4 feet deep.

But the size we have works fine. Each unit easily accommodates half a dozen chicks, or one dozen bantam chicks, from hatch to the age of about 8 weeks.

Elevated or floor level?

We thought about raising the brooders off the barn floor, with hardware cloth for the brooder floor. That would have been more convenient for tending to chicks and for waste to fall through.

But a hardware cloth brooder floor doesn’t offer opportunities for pecking or dust bathing. So bored chicks on wire tend to peck at each other. Plus sometimes baby birds catch their hocks in the wire squares.

We therefore build the brooders directly on the concrete barn floor. Before housing chicks, we cover the floor with sheets of cardboard (often opened-out boxes) topped with paper toweling.

As the chicks grow, we add bedding. Usually we use dried hardwood shavings. When we have enough, we use crosscut shredded paper. Cleanup is easy — just roll up the cardboard, mess and all.

What for a heat source?

Before finalizing our design we needed to settle on a source of heat. We didn’t want heat lamps because they burn out, leaving chicks in the cold. Plus the heat concentrates in one area. The chicks then either pile up under the lamp to get warm, or press away from the heat to cool off. And we were concerned that a lamp might start a fire.

We opted instead for Sweeter Heater pet heater panels made in the United States by Infratherm. We like these heater panel features:

• low energy use
• easy cleaning and sanitizing
• can’t start a fire
• won’t burn baby birds

For our 34-inch wide brooding units we chose 30-inch panels. Needing the option of adjusting panel height as chicks grow, we chose the overhead mount style. The chicks’ body language is our primary indicator of their comfort.

To prevent damage to a plug from repeated plugging and unplugging switch outlets turn the heaters on and off. The red light indicates that the heater panel plugged into that outlet is on.

Construction of the built-in wooden brooder boxes.

We constructed the brooders mostly of three-quarter inch plywood. The top of each unit is 36 inches from the floor at the back and extends forward 22 inches. This part of the top is fixed.

The front section of the top slopes forward and hinges so it can be lifted for replenishing feed and water. The hinged part has a large window cut into it. Quarter-inch hardware cloth covers the window to provide ventilation and to allow us to observe the chicks without disturbing them.

The cut-out plywood becomes a cover to close all or part of the window as needed to conserve heat. Removing the cover altogether provides maximum ventilation.

The front panel of each brooder slides down into a channel, to easily lift and remove as needed to catch chicks or clean the bedding. These front panels are 22 inches high, which is low enough for me to reach the feeder and drinker without removing the panel and risking a chick escape.

The hand-cut front panels and window covers fit best in their original locations. So, to ensure that these removable parts always go with the proper unit, the front panels and window covers bear labels A, B, C, and D.

If all this is hard to visualize, a video by Andy Gallun shows our brooders and how they work. You can view the video on YouTube.

Adjusting the heat level

We wanted a way to raise and lower the heat panels for fast adjustment of the brooder heat level. Also sometimes we need to view the chicks hiding underneath a panel, or to catch and move chicks.

For that purpose we drilled two holes into the fixed top back of each brooder unit. We threaded the ends of a nylon rope through the holes to hang the panel from.

To raise and lower each panel, we tied a second rope to the center of the first rope. This rope then goes through a small pulley, and the far end fastens to a length of lightweight chain.

To hold the panel at the appropriate height, one link of the chain slips onto a cleat attached to the wall. Adjusting the height of a heater panel involves simply changing the link on the cleat.

This system lets us easily drop the panel just above the chicks’ heads (for hatchlings) or lift it nearly to the brooder ceiling (for when heat panel is off). The setup works really slick and never fails to awe visitors.

Additional Features

The heater panels are located toward the back of each unit for two reasons. One is so the back wall and side walls will help retain heat to make a cozy place for the chicks to rest. The other is to allow maximum room at the front for eating, drinking, and general chick activities.

The feed and water stations are toward the front, where they are easy to clean and refill. To adjust the height of feeders and drinkers as chicks grow, we attach them to 6-inch by 9-inch shelf brackets, one on each side. The brackets are close to the brooder ceiling to prevent chicks from perching on top and pooping in the feed and water.

A light above the feed and water stations helps the chicks see to eat and drink. We use the equivalent of 15-watt soft white bulbs, which provide the right amount of light without creating heat. We put protective cages over the light bulbs to keep guinea keets from crashing into the bulbs and breaking them.

With the light at the top front, the heater panel throws a shadow at the back of the unit, which is ideal for resting chicks. As we place each chick into a brooder unit, almost immediately it instinctively dives under the heater panel.

However, compared to a heat lamp, the chicks spend less time huddled under the heater, pushing and shoving for a warm position. Instead, they spent more time eating, drinking, and exploring. Thanks to the comfortably radiant heat, at no time do any chicks pile under a panel or press away from the heat and pant.

Other Benefits of Built-in Wooden Brooder Boxes

We use our built-in wooden brooder boxes for all manner of baby poultry. We’ve also use them to house broody hens. And we’ve even used the boxes to keep baby goats safe and warm while their mama was busy giving birth to more kids.

Aside from all the other advantages this setup has to offer, we’ve discovered another bonus — the chicks remain calmer as they grow. We no longer experience pecking issues. And instead of becoming startled or frightened whenever we fill their feeder and drinker, the little birds scurry under the shadow of the heat panel, then turn to watch.