That is the coolest brooder box I've ever seen. :) Good job!

For REAL fun, get a little tub of the smallest mealworms from the pet store and toss a few in--Chicken Football Supreme! :)

Velvet ~:>

Thanks! I am going to the farm supply tomorrow; I'll have to check those worms out!

Frenchkitty,

Did you make your brood box and if so, how?

Thanks,
Susan

We have been free-ranging chickens for several years now and the one mistake you don't want to make is to let them out completely free before they are fully grown. We lost 20 of them over a period of a week to feral cats before we actually saw one in the act. We couldn't figure out why they were disappearing.

We got the electric mesh fencing for the rest of them and kept them inside a very large enclosed grassy area until they started laying at about 5 months old. They are now closed up only at night and we haven't lost any more to predators. (I think the roosters play a great part in the safety of the hens.)

adorable little things! And a great setup too...we half free ranged our chickens,and in the fall lost 3 hens and 2 ducks to a fox ...in the middle of the day,it was SO upsetting. Now we know the real danger and how easy it is to lose them. It wasn't them going anywhere that was the problem,only that they're in danger unprotected. The 3 I have left spent the whole rest of fall and winter inside their coop,in the spring we will build and extension for them to go outside with a fenced roof to cover them as well as on the ground...can't trust those predators...and I'll be damned if they get another one of our friends!

Susan, Thanks! Well, we bought one of those big storage containers at WMart, about 40"long by 20"wide by 20" tall. Then DH made a frame from scrap wood and stapled hardware cloth on it, then screwed this onto the front from the inside (with sheetrock screws) so that there were no sharp edges anywhere, then cut out the opening. He was going to do the same thing with the lid that came with it, but instead just made another large frame out of the scrap wood and hardware cloth that fits over the top. It turned out great and we will save it in case we ever decide to get any more babies.

Yes, we have been reading tons of books about chickens and free ranging. We have a coop almost complete that will have a run big enough to keep them in when we cannot be outside with them. We have plenty of predators that would love a free chicken dinner! I would also like to get some of the electric mesh fencing, and would even try to cover that with some bird netting while they are in it. Trying to think of every scenario BEFORE something happens!

I like that brooder too! Your so lucky to have a handy hubby!

Frenchkitty, very nice brooder indeed! Do you have a contingency plan for when the feather sheath dust begins to fly? Turns out this was the only aspect I had not considered...what a mess!

Have fun.