Have your feed on hand and ready to go before your chicks arrive. Make sure you are using a quality feed for your chicks –– medicated or non-medicated is a personal choice, though we prefer non-medicated. You can also use straw or organic material, like dry leaves, from your yard. Most popular, pine shavings are a great bedding option no matter the brooder. The safest way to use a heat lamp in any outdoor brooder is to have the heat lamp far enough away so that the chicks can’t jump into it, or to place a layer of wire between the lamp and the chicks. We also prefer to use large livestock heat lamps with large cages around them rather than the common heat lamps you get from your farm store. You’ll need to secure the lamp onto the hook (by hanging it) rather than clamping the heat lamp inside of the brooder. Clamping your heat lamp on isn’t safe in any situation. Along with the heat lamp, you’ll need a lamp hook. While there’s some debate on whether or not you should use a heat lamp outside, we use a heat lamp in our chick brooders because we have chicks in an outdoor chicken brooder with temperatures as low as 20 degrees at nights. Some are obvious things, and then there are not so obvious things. There are a few things you’ll need when setting up your outdoor chicken brooder. What You’ll Need For Your Outdoor Chicken Brooder Wire flooring is even safe enough for little chicks. Trust me when I say, this is a lifesaver. Make Your Own Brooder: If you can’t find what you’re looking for, or you want to make your own brooder, that’s possible too! I’d recommend making sure your homemade brooder has wire flooring.We built it up so that a heat lamp could be securely hung from the ceiling. Old Doghouse: Our very first outdoor brooder was made out of an old doghouse on our property.These will generally start at $85 and go up from there, depending on the size. You’ll also need to make some type of sturdy cover out of lumber and wire so that no predators can get into the tank, including mice and rats. Just make sure they are in a covered area out of the wind and elements. Galvanized Stock Tank: Most commonly seen at your farm store during chick season, you can use these outside as well.These will cost you anywhere from $200 up. Most of these small coops have chicken runs attached, which is a great way to get your chicks on pasture as soon as possible. Small Coop: One of the quickest ways to set up an outdoor chicken brooder is to buy a small, pre-fabricated coop.Wire flooring will make it convenient for you to keep the area clean, and you can often find rabbit hutches locally for a great price. ![]()
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