A QUICK AND SIMPLE OUTDOOR BROODER

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Another good thing about our modular brooder approach is that if a fire should happen to break out it would be confined to one frame and would not devour a whole barn. (The one time we did have a brooder fire, the wood was so damp that it only smoldered, and the chicks escaped unharmed into the run.) To minimize the danger of even one of these small blazes, of course, we suggest you use fireproof litter and keep it well away from each frame's light bulb.

As for protection against predators, our coops have thwarted attacks by wily foxes, raccoons, dogs, cats, and owls. Feline attackers will reach under the edge of a frame to grab a feathery snack if given the chance, though, so it's important that you always set your brooders on fairly smooth ground. (We also put a 2" ledge around the inside bottoms of our boxes to further discourage cats.)

When your babies are grown, you can use their former home as a makeshift cold frame to protect semi-hardy herbs through the winter, see a few tomatoes past the first fall frost, or harden off indoor-started annuals prior to transplanting them to the garden.

We're delighted with our portable chick brooders (all of which have endured eight winters outside without rotting or falling apart). If there's an easier, less expensive, healthier way to house growing chicks, we haven't found it!

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