How to Build Chicken Brooders

The most difficult task of raising a flock of chickens is caring for the newly hatched chicks. The brooder is one of the most crucial components to a healthy brood; it helps the chicks stay warm and keeps them all together. Properly built chicken brooders can be used all year. The benefits of raising your own chicks are undeniable: fresh eggs and fresh poultry at a fraction of the cost of store-bought products. The size and number of brooders you need to build depends on the size of the flock.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic pool, 5 feet in diameter
  • 2-foot-by-2-foot cardboard box, 15-inches deep
  • Five 25-inch wooden sticks, at least 1-inch thick
  • Four drywall screws
  • Brooder lamp with 250-watt brooder bulb
  • Packaging tape
  • Screwdriver
  • Scissors
  • Large bag of wood shavings or chips
  • 4 feet of chicken wire
  • Cinder blocks (four to six)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Begin before the chicks hatch. Cut or tape all four top cardboard box flaps down.

    • 2

      Turn the box upside down. Use the drywall screws to fasten four of the 25-inch sticks as legs to corners on the inside of the cardboard box (one per corner). The sticks should reach the top of the upside-down box, and the box should stand 10 inches off the floor once the legs are attached properly.

    • 3

      Cut a 6- or 7-inch hole on the top of the upside-down box (the roof of the box). The hole is for the brooder lamp and will also allow excess heat to escape. Lay the last stick down across the box so it runs over the hole. Wrap the cord from the lamp around the stick a few times, and insert the lamp through the hole. Tie a knot on the cord to the stick to keep the lamp in place. The brooder lamp should hang halfway down inside the box.

    • 4

      Place the pool in the desired brooder location. Spread the large bag of wood shavings or chips inside the pool and distribute evenly. If the pool sits on concrete or a cold surface, elevate the pool with some cinder blocks to keep the chicks warm. Place the prepped cardboard box on its legs in the center of the pool.

    • 5

      Place chicken wire around the outside of the pool. This will keep any little chicks from escaping before they are ready to be moved outside.