DIY Outdoor Chicken Brooder / Broody Hen Box

 Note: This is an original design, and is still in the process of being tested.  Please read the notes at the end before committing to building this.

     I just finished building this brooder tractor for our new baby chicks.  It is 6' x 2' with an open bottom to allow them to forage.  With 12 square feet of interior space it can hold up to 24 young birds for their first 3 weeks, after which they will need larger accommodations.  It can hold a smaller number of birds for longer, but care needs to be taken as a couple of birds won't be able to huddle and maintain their heat well enough.  I also envision using it for a broody hen with a clutch.  For that I would keep it stationary and add bedding and clean as needed.  I added a small door on the front so she can take her babies out foraging.  The entire top opens as two large doors to allow easy access.  A 2x4 brace across the center works well as a place to hang the waterer.  Two handles extend from the front.  Moving the unit by the handles is made easier by the rounded corners on the back of the bottom rails.  The plywood lid has a slight pitch to shed water since it acts as a roof over the enclosed section.  An incandescent light fixture provides heat inside the enclosure.  We cover the entire thing with a tarp if it get's too cold or wet out, and put down a layer of dry wood chips if the ground gets too moist. 

Tools Needed:

Tape Measure

Pencil

Square

Horses

Saw (For  cross cutting lumber and for ripping plywood)

Drill / Driver

Tin Snips (For cutting hardware cloth)

Belt Sander, plane, or draw knife (for shaping handles)
Belt Sander, jig saw, or coping saw (for rounding back of bottom rails)

Palm sander or sanding block (recommended for removing splinters and improving appearance)

A pneumatic staple gun is a nice option for attaching the walls and screen but screws work just as well.

Shopping List:

(Use this list to purchase materials new)

Prices are given for example only and are our current local prices for these items.

Qty     Type                                                                                     Price each                           Total
(10)        2x2" x8'                                                                                  $1.42                           $14.20
(3)          2x4" x 8'                                                                                 $2.98                            $8.94
(2)          4'x8' x 3/8" plywood                                                             $14.37                          $28.74
(56)        2½" Wood Screws                                                                                    Box of 100 $5.19

(44)        1¼" Wood Screws (or staples to secure plywood)                                   Box of 100 $3.28
(75) short (1" or so) flat head screws or staples to secure screen                           Box of 100 $2.37

(3) latches                                                                                            $1.79                              $5.37
(6) small hinges with screws                                                               $1.48                              $8.88
1/4" Hardware Cloth  12' long                                                                                25' Roll     $16.49
2' piece of light chain                                                                                                                   $.99
                                                                                                                                             __________
                                                                  Total for all new materials as pictured above        $94.45

Note: 

In the pic below, you can see how close I was to getting all of the pieces out of a single sheet of plywood.  Making the length of the side walls, the lid, or the width of the entire unit smaller by a couple of inches are all adjustments that would make it possible to eliminate the need for a second sheet of plywood.  Since I built mine before realizing this, and I am not terribly motivated to re-draw and re-work all the pics and lists, I am going to publish it as is.  If there is enough interest I can work up a slightly less expensive version.

The pieces are shown in grey, tan is scrap, and red is the overlap that prevents the pieces from coming out of 1 sheet. 

oops.  Now you gotta buy two whole sheets of plywood so you can cut one little piece out of one of them.  1/2 sheets are available, but they are only a couple of dollars cheaper than the whole ones.

Cut List:

(Use this list if scrounging/salvaging materials or to cut the purchased list)

Qty    Type

(2)     2x2" x 6' 6"     Bottom Rails
(5)     2x4" x 2'         Bottom Ends, Top Ends, & Top Bar
(1)     2x2  x 2'         Door frame Top
(2)     2x2  x 8'         Top Rails
(6)     2x4 x 21"       Corner Posts, Short wall stop, & Long wall Stop

(1)     2x2 x 21"       Side Cleat
(1)     2x2 x 1'          Door Jamb
(4)     2x2 x 2' 3"     Top Door Sweeps & Screen Lid Sides
(1)    2x2  x 2' 7¼"  Top Door Stop
(4)    2x2  x 2' 10½" Lid Frame
(2)    2x4  x 2' 7"     Screen Lid End

(6)  3/8" plywood pieces as shown below (click to view larger)

Short Side Wall:  2' tall, 2' across top, 2' 4½" across bottom

Front Wall:  1' 9" Tall, 2' 2½" across top with cut out 1' up and 9½" over

Back Wall: 2'3"x1'9"

Lid:  3' 1½" x 2' 10½" 

Long Side Wall:  2' tall, 3' 1½" across top, 3' 6" across bottom

Chicken Door:  11 7/8"x7 7/8"

Step 1:  Assemble the bottom frame

Round off back corners of the (2) bottom rails with a belt sander, jig saw, or coping saw to allow the unit to slide more easily when assembled.  Then assemble the bottom frame as shown below. 

Attach the Bottom Rails (2x2x6'6") to the Bottom Ends (2x4x2') The Front End is flush, the Back end is 6" in from the rounded corner. 

 Use (2) 2½" screws per connection.  Be sure to keep the screws offset toward the center on both ends, as shown below, to avoid hitting the screws that secure the corners in step 2.  Pre-drill the 2x2 to avoid splitting.

Step 2:  Attach the 4 corner posts

Attach the (4) Corner Posts (2x2x21") to the Bottom frame assembly using (1) 2½" screw per connection as shown below.  Pre-drill these connections.

Step 3:  Assemble the Top Frame

Attach the (2) Top Rails (2x2x8') to the (2) Top Ends (2x4x2') as shown below.  Use (2) 2½" screws to secure each side of the Back end flush with the rails.  The screws should be offset towards the center as in step 1.

Use (1) 2½" screws to attach each side of the Front End.  It is positioned 5' 10½" from the back end and installed sideways to hang down below the frame as shown below.

I rounded the handles with a belt sander before assembling the top frame.

Step 4:  Connect the top and bottom frames.

Use (4) 2½" screws to attach the Top Frame to the (4) Corner Posts as shown below.

Screw placement detail

Step 5:  Attach the Short Side Stop and the Side Cleat

Attach the Short Side Cleat (2x4x21")  1' 10½" from the back corner as shown below.  The Side Cleat (2x2x21") is attached the same distance on the other side.  Use (1) 2 ½" screw for each of the (4) connections.

Step 6:  Attach the Top Bar

Install the Top Bar (2x4x2') 2' 11½" from the back of the unit using (2) 2½" screws on each side as shown below.

Step 7:  Attach the Long Side Stop

Install the Long Side Stop (2x4x21") 2' 11½" from the back of the unit (flush with Top Bar) as shown below.  Use (1) 2½" screw on each end, centered to avoid hitting the Top Bar screws.

Step 8:  Assemble Door Frame

Attach the Door Jamb (2x2x1') to the Door Frame Top (2x2x2').  It is installed 8" from the side in a T shape as shown below.  Use (1) 2½" screw for this connection.

Step 9:  Install Door Frame

Install the Door Frame in the front end as shown below.  Use (1) 2½"screw for each of the (3) connections.

Step 10:  Install the first Top Door Sweep

Attach the Top Door Sweep (2x2x2'3") 1 5/8" from the Back end using (3) 2½" screws as shown below.

Step 11:  Install Top Door Stop

Attach the Top Door Stop (2x2x2' 7¼") to the Top Rail on the Short side using (3) 2½" screws as shown below.

Step 12:  Install other Top Door Sweep

Attach the other Top Door Sweep (2x2x2'3") tight against the Top Door Stop using (2) 2½" screws as shown below.  To keep it square, measure the distance of the stop (2' 7¼") on the back rail

The completed frame.

 

Note:

 Because I prefer not to use treated wood it is necessary to use a preservative to protect the pine from rot and make it a less hospitable home to mites.  For this project I used a homemade past created with 5 parts food grade mineral oil and 1 part beeswax.  The ingredients are gently heated using a double boiler until blended.  Monitor closely at all times under heat since both ingredients can be flammable.  The mixture is then cooled to room temp, then applied to the wood with a rag. 

I applied my mixture to the completed frame, then treated each piece of plywood before attaching.

Step 13:  Install Front Wall

 Install the Front Wall to the Short Wall Stop and the Side Cleat using (5) 1¼" screws as shown below.  When attaching plywood to framing, you do not need to pre-drill.

Step 14:  Install Long Side Wall

Attach the Long Side Wall using (10) 1¼" screws as shown below.

Step 15:  Install Short Side Wall

Attach the Short Side Wall using (10) 1¼" screws as shown below.

Step 16:  Install the Back Wall

Attach the Back Wall (1'9"x2'3"x 3/8" ply) to the inside of the back corners using (6) 1¼" screws as shown below.

Step 17:  Attach screen to the Outside of the brooder.  

Attach the ¼" Hardware Cloth to the brooder using either pan head screws or a pneumatic stapler.  Wrap the 3 open sides with a single piece of screen, cutting out for the chicken door and handles on the front side, folding it around the corners, and then cutting to length.

shown here a couple of steps ahead with screen as well as with the lid and the screen top frame attached.

Step 18:  Build the Lid Frame

Attach (2) Lid Frame pieces to the other (2) Lid Frame Pieces to form a large H as shown below.  The inner pieces are set in 3" from the ends of the other pieces.  Use (1) 2½" screw for each of the (4) connections.

Step 19:  Attach Lid Top to Lid Frame.

Connect the Lid Top (3' 1½"x2' 10½" x 3/8" ply) to the Lid Frame using (10) 1¼"screws.

Step 20:  Attach the Lid

Install the Lid to the Brooder as shown below using 2 hinges and the appropriate screws.

The hinges for the screen top (Left) are installed flat, the hinges for the wooden top (right) are installed at 90°

Step 21:  Build Screen Top

Attach (2) Screen lid Ends (2x4x2'7") to (2) Screen Lid Sides (2x2x2'3") to form a square with the 2x2s covering the ends of the 2x4s.  Use (2) 2½"screws for each of the (4) connections as shown below. 

 Cover with ¼" Hardware Cloth.

Step 22:  Install Screen Top 

Attach Screen Top using (2) hinges with appropriate screws.

Step 23:  Install Chicken Door

Attach Chicken Door using (2) small hinges with appropriate screws.

Step 24:  Install the latches and the chain.

I use eye and hook latches with a spring mechanism that prevents it from being easily opened.

The chain is installed using (2) 1¼" screws as shown below to keep the screen door from opening too far.

If needed you can install an incandescent light or other heat source inside the brooder.  Be sure to follow your local electrical codes.  A hook in the Top Bar is a great place to hang a waterer from.

     So that's pretty much it.  We used a similar type thing to brood our original flock with great success, but that was in July and August, so we will have to wait and see how they fare in the cooler, wetter Wisconsin Spring weather.  We cover the brooder with a tarp in heavy rains, but otherwise it provides all the protection the chicks need.  We move them to fresh lawn daily.  For the first couple of moves, it is a good idea to have someone watch so they don't get their toes caught.  Also, talk to your birds when you are going to move them, so they get to know what to expect.  Personally I think it is much better for the birds to be outside right away.  To expose them to the fresh air, forge opportunities, and potential pathogens as soon as possible so they can develop on the right track.

Happy flockstering, and please let me know what you think of the design.

Update 5/19/13:

Things I want to change about the design so far:

1. Adjust size so that it can be built out of 1 sheet of plywood.

2.  Put the handles on the opposite side.  All the babies run away from us when we open it up to move.  This puts them in the brooder where we can't see them and they tend to get their toes run over.  So we end up moving it by pushing the brooder wall which scares the babies out into the yard where we can see them.  Makes me wonder if the handles are necessary at all.

3.  Add a small door that babies can fit through but adult chickens can't for introducing young birds into the flock (A thought I had after reading this article on the Natural Chicken Keeping Blog.

Update 6/24/13:  

The adult birds don't show any signs of wanting to use it in any way except perching on the handles.  I think if we want a broody hen to use it, we would have to lock her in there.  I worry that it is too hot and there is not enough ventilation for that though.  Worked great as a brooder, but I am re-thinking the broody hen application.

I guess from this angle, it doesn't look too inviting.

New Chicks!

     Ok, so we are a little crazy, but we actually agreed to take the chicks months ago.  Hatching them was a 5th grade class project for the son of a good friend and they needed a home.  So here we are with 21 baby leghorns added to the flock.  Not too sure how this is going to work yet, but they sure are cute!

 

     We are brooding them in a large box indoors for now, but I will be working on building a brooder tractor/broody hen pen this weekend so we can get them foraging right away.  If the build goes well, I will be posting the plans soon.

Chicken Update 4/25/13

     There has been quite a bit to talk about concerning chickens, but it has been hard to find time to post now that Spring has sprung.  For starters two out of our three cockerels went into the cooking pot a few weeks ago which resulted in a lovely chicken dinner with some friends.  They were pretty birds, but three cocks is simply too many for a flock our size, and I don't like feeding birds that don't produce.  It has definitely been quieter around here since then.

Winter hoop coop  setup

     Last Saturday, the 20th, was moving day.  We repositioned the coop and netting into the first paddock area for the combination food forest/chicken paddock that I am envisioning for our back yard.  It was a lot of work, cleaning out a winters worth of deep bedding, moving all the straw bales, putting the wheels back on the hoop coop, and then moving everything into position.  Since the new paddock includes part of the yard I set them up in for Winter, we were able to move the coop on Saturday, then move the fencing Sunday morning before releasing the birds for the day.

     Under the outer tarp, we found a few hidden nests with 20 some eggs that we didn't know about.  We mixed them with some wood chips in the compost pile since we didn't know how old they were.

     With the hoop coop up on some saw horses, I put the wheels on...

while Nikki used a stiff brush to clean the old litter off the wire mesh.

     Here is a closer look at what I am calling our lever up wheel assembly.  It is made from commonly available hardware.

     The two wheel assemblies attach to the front corners of the 2x4 frame with 3 heavy duty wood screws, one on the side and two on the bottom.  A lynchpin is used to lock the wheels in the up position.

     This is the custom hitch that goes on the front of the hoop coop, allowing us to use a trailer dolly to easily move it around the yard.  It is attached to the bottom of the 2x4 frame with 4 lag bolts.  Please don't laugh at all the grinder marks, this is the first useful thing I ever made on a welder.  It's also quite a bit heavier duty than it needs to be, but the c channel scrap I had available just happened to fit the hitch, so I went with it.  It is made in 2 pieces bolted together so the height could be adjusted if needed. 

     Above is the new paddock.  There are still a few weeks until the last frost in this area, so we moved some bails in as well.  Since the winter setup used the barn wall for one side, it was quite a bit bigger than what one 164' poultry netting can encompass.  The chickens are less than thrilled with their new, smaller accommodations so far.  They have gotten out several times this week.  It started with a few birds flying over on Monday from the top of bales that were placed too close to the fence.  On Tuesday, it rained and one of the stakes in the soft sandy gravel driveway fell over.  I came home from work to find the entire flock, soaking wet and happily turning the straw left over from the winter setup.  Wednesday I found the one cockerel and two hens had flown out and torn out the peas I planted in the back lasagna beds.  I was able to pick up the hens without too much fuss, but the rooster was too wary.  After about five or six laps running around the netting while swearing loudly, I wondered if the neighbors were watching and decided to change tactics.  All I had to do was move one end stake inward so it made a spiral instead of a circle, then do one more lap and chase him in the pen.  The rest of the flock was nervous about the commotion and stayed inside, so I didn't have to worry about the opening in the fencing.  My threats and angry noises must have had some effect, because he stayed inside for the rest of the day.  Today, of course, he was out again; along with one of the Rhode Island Red hens.  Ok, make that twice today.  Sigh.   Looks like we are going to have to electrify the netting after all.  If that doesn't work we will try clipping wings on the offenders.  I may end up caging off the garden as well, though I hate the inconvenience of it and, other that the chickens, we don't really have problems with foragers. (knock on wood)

3013 Seed Starts and plant order

     Seed Starting dates for 2013

3/12  Orange Bell Pepper - SSE

         Margaret's Pepper   -WVF

3/24  Petunia  -WVF

         Celosia

3/25  Amish Cockscomb

         Painted Tongue

         Jalapeno Pepper- SSE

         Petunia, old fashioned viking

4/1  Tomato, Wisconsin 55- SSE

       Tomato, Amish Paste - SSE

       Tomato, Gardener's Delight- WVF

       Lupine, bluebonnet- WVF

4/13 Siberian Pea Shrub

        Goji Berry

        Blueberry- BG

4/14  Basil, Sweet Genovese

         Basil, Lemon

         Basil, Holy

         Cilantro

         Parsley, Darki

     Also, we got our order of plants from Jung yesterday, it included;

Astilbe (1 each of 10 different varieties)

6 Cinnamon fern

1 Lingonberry

6 Wintergreen, Creeping

3 Wolf berry (Goji)

2 Blueberry, Northland

1 Blueberry, Pink Lemonade

1 Currant, Ben Sarek Black

1 Currant, Pink Champagne

1 Currant, Rovada Red

Not sure where all of this is going yet, but we will be working on that and planting some more cool weather seeds outside this weekend.  We have planted Peas, Lettuce, and Kale so far.

Making Seed Balls

Masanobu Fukuoka - "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."

     This is my first attempt at making seed balls as inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka.  The theory is that by encapsulating the seeds in a mixture of clay and compost they are protected until conditions are right for germination.  This allows seed to be sewn on top of the ground without the need for tilling and was a critical part of the way Fukuoka grew barley and rice out of the same field without plowing, fertilizing, or pest control.  In his small farm he produced extremely high quality food without any of the machinery or chemical inputs that were standard for his time. My plan is to use them to seed our forest garden after the chickens have destroyed the lawn.

    Digging a post hole last fall produced some good clay which I dried in a bucket in the garage.  Pulverizing it to a powder proved to be fairly challenging.  At first I tried using a hammer and a piece of flat rock inside a plastic tub to catch the dust, but this was a very slow process.  I had much better results by rubbing the flat rock across a 1x4 piece of wood and crushing the clay pieces in between them.  If I am going to do this more than I couple of times I think it will be a good idea to make a large wooden mortar and pestle out of logs like I have seen Fukuoka's people using.  Using a small piece of window screen I sifted the powder into a jar.

     I never got around to sifting and drying some compost for this project, so I substituted some seed starting mix instead.  For the fist batch I started with just white clover seed in a smooth bucket.  holding the bucket at an angle, I lightly misted the seeds with water then sprinkled some powdered clay and a little of the seed starting mix, then turned the bucket to mix.  Repeating this process until balls started forming.  The mix tended to stick to the sides of the bucket and needed to be scraped off frequently.  A rubber scraper is a handy too to have for this.  The balls that resulted from this process were rather uneven and rough, and a lot of seed remained free.

     I did not manage to get all the seeds on my original list.  Time being a factor I ended up going through my seed box and making a mix out of what I had available.  I have to admit it did seem a little crazy to be dumping dozens of packets of seed together in a bucket so hopefully we get something good out of all this.

Here is the final mix

(In no particular order)     

White Clover

Petunia

Parsley

Rhubarb

Fennel

Chard (Fordhook & Gold Glebe)

Daikon Radish

Yarrow

Chicory

Kale (Pentland Brig)

Nasturtium (Mixed Dwarf)

Chamomile (German)

Hairy Vetch

Lupine

Apple

Pear

Jung annual flower mix 

Wild flower mix (wedding favor)

Blueberry

Arugula

Bachelor's Buttons

Pea (melting sugar)

Columbine (Deep blue alpina)

Spinach

Black Locust

Safflower

Marigold (Harlequin)

Millet

Oats

Carrot (Dragon)

Spring Greens mix (sand hill)

Delicata Squash (just 2 seeds)

Lettuce (various)

Beans (various)

Shasta Daisy

Zinnia

     Using the same technique as my first try, I coated the entire mix with clay and seed starting mix.  I ended up running out of clay and spreading the mix out to dry on some brown paper bags overnight.  The next day I crushed another jar of clay and re-coated the mix.  Still not satisfied, I began to roll small balls out of the mix between my hands.  This seemed to push the seeds in and leave a nice coating of clay all around.  I squished the round ball flat so it wouldn't roll then worked it like putty to close up the cracks that formed when I flattened it.  I then rolled it in some dry powdered clay to coat the outside and keep it form sticking.  I did this for the entire mix, frequently needing to re-wet it or add some more clay to bind the loose seeds.   Eventually I got better at getting the right moisture level to avoid cracking, and got quicker at making them. 

      About 1/2 of the balls formed deep cracks when drying and many of them broke apart when I put them in paper bags for storage.  This might be a good thing, as I made them somewhat large and each one could contain dozens of different seeds, so some smaller chunks are nice.  Many of the large seeds especially beans and peas broke free of their coating.  Many of the seed balls, though, were more solid and stayed intact.  So I think there will be a diverse range of protection on the seed offering a staggered germination rate and greater chances for success.  We will see.  It won't be long before the chickens have wrecked the lawn on their first paddock and it will be time to sew.  Then we are taking Fukuoka's advice to throw the seed balls with a child like mind and let nature guide us on the details.