The Mini Brooder

Building Plans for a Small Brooding Box for Baby Chicks

By: Little Farm [in the] Big City

Overview Thanks for downloading the Mini Brooder Plans from Little Farm [in the] Big City! I am really excited about these plans. I adapted them from a picture I saw on the Internet. I think this brooder is unique in that you can totally remove the bottom box part, which makes for easy cleaning after your chicks are ready for a bigger pen or coop. Like the name states, this brooder is “mini.” It’s perfect for the urban or suburban farmer who wants to breed a few chicks at a time. It’s very compact and easy to store. You can fit it anywhere. The only thing that is really tricky that you’ll want to be very careful with your cuts so that your frame can fit snugly in your box. I built a variation of this, and I had to make several adjustments as I was building it as the wood that I bought was a little warped and uneven. It’s very difficult to find good quality, straight wood these days that isn’t pressure treated. So, you’ll see a couple of places where I advise you to double check your frame in your box to make sure it fits and make adjustments as necessary.

Materials: • Hardware cloth • A box of 3” screws • Two sets of small hinges (1” to 1 ½” width is perfect) with

screws • 1 cabinet handle with screws • 4 – 1’ x 1’ vinyl flooring tiles • Drill • Miter saw • Circular or jig saw • Square • Wire cutters for hardware cloth • Staple gun with staples

Cut List: • Outer Box:

• 2 – ¾” plywood at 2’ 1/16” x 1’ • 2 – ¾” plywood at 2’ 1 ½” x 1’ • 1 – ¾’ plywood at 2’ 1 ½” x 2’ 1 ½” • About 25 nails

• Inner Frame: • 2 – 2x2 at 2’ • 4 – 2x2 at 1’ • 10 – 2x2 at 1’ 9” • 2 – 2x2 at 8” • 2 – 2x2 at 1’ 5 11/16”, cut with a miter saw at ~42.7° and

~47.3° (see picture) Door:

• 2 – 2x2 at 2’ • 2 – 2x2 at 1’ 2 11/16” (or you can round down to 1’ 2” if you

center the door over the frame when you attach it)

1. The first thing to know about this project is that the frame fits inside the box, so you can totally remove the frame and clean out the box easily. First, we’re going to build the box.  For  this  step,  you’ll  need:   2 – ¾” plywood at 2’ 1/16” x 1’ 2 – ¾” plywood at 2’ 1 ½” x 1’ 1 – ¾’ plywood at 2’ 1 ½” x 2’ 1 ½” About 25 nails, 1 ½” to 2” Vinyl tiles  For  this  step,  I  used  a  nail  gun,  which  made  it  much  easier  (and  faster!).  Plus,  I  was  a  little  worried  that  drilling  the  sides  together  would  cause  the  wood  to  split.  Start  by  nailing   the   sides   together.   Have   someone   (carefully)   help   you   to   hold   them   in  position  as  you  nail  them  together.  Make  sure  you  parallel  the  2’  1/16”  lengths  and  butt  them  up  against  the  2’  1  ½”  lengths  (see  below).    Once  you’ve  done  this,  place  the  square  bottom  board  on  them,  and  nail  it  in  place.  After  you  have  the  box  framed  up  and  put  together,  this  is  a  good  time  to  also  add  in  your  vinyl  tile  floors.  This  step  is  optional,  but  it  makes  for  easy  cleaning  later  as  the  vinyl  won’t  get  moldy  when  wet.    

2.  Now  we’ll  start  setting  up  the  frame.    For  this  step,  you’ll  need:  

• 2  –  2x2  at  2’  • 2  –  2x2  at  1’  • 4  –  2x2  at  1’9”  • 3”  screws  

 With  a  friend  holding  the  pieces  together,  attach  the  vertical  posts  of  your  brooding  box  to  the  perimeter  boards  as  shown  below.  Use  1-­‐2  screws  per  intersection.  Make  sure  you  drill   the  screws   in   flush  with  the  boards,  as   the   frame  will   fit  snugly   into  the  box.    After   this  step,  put  your  started   frame   in  your  box   to  make  sure   it   fits.  Make  adjustments  as  necessary.  

3.  Next  up,  we’ll  add  5  more  horizontal  frame  boards.    You’ll  need:  

• 5  –  2x2  at  1’9”  • 3”  screws  

 Attach  as  shown.  It  will  look  a  bit  like  a  chair  at  this  point.    After   this  step,  put  your  started   frame   in  your  box   to  make  sure   it   fits.  Make  adjustments  as  necessary.  

4.  Continuing  with  the  frame…    You’ll  need:  

• 2  –  2x2  at  8”  • 2  –  2x2  at  1’  • 3”  screws  

 First,  attach  one  of  the  8”  pieces  to  a  1’  piece  at  a  90°  angle  as  shown  below.  Repeat  for   the   other   two  boards.  Now,   you’ll   attach   them  one   at   a   time   to   your   frame   as  shown  below.        

5.  Now,  complete  the  back  part  of  your  frame.    You’ll  need:  

• 1  –  2x2  at  1’9”  • 3”  screws  

 Simply  attach  this  board  by  spanning  it  across  the  two  sections  you  attached  in  Step  4.  

6.    Complete  the  frame.    You’ll  need:  

• The  angled  cuts  you  made  • 3”  screws  

 Align   the   angled   cuts   so   that   they   are   flush  with   the   rest   of   your   frame.   Carefully  attach  them  with  some  3”  screws.  Lastly,  make  sure  your  frame  is  sturdy  and  secure.  Add  an  additional  screw  to  any  joint  that  does  not  feel  secure.  

 7.  Build  the  door.    You’ll  need:  

• 2  –  2x2  at  2’  • 2  –  2x2  at  1’   2  11/16”   (or   you   can   round  down   to  1’   2”   and   center   the  

door  over  the  frame  when  you  attach  it)  • Hardware  cloth  cut  to  fit  the  door  frame  • Cabinet  handle  • Wire  cutters  • Staple  gun  with  staples  

 Attach  as  shown.  Then,  using  a  staple  gun,  attach  hardware  cloth  to  the  front.  Make  sure,  when  you  cut  the  hardware  cloth  that  you  use  wire  cutters  to  cut  off  any  ends  of  the  wire  that  are  sticking  out.  Note  that  you  should  cut  the  hardware  cloth  to  fit  over  the  entire  door  (including  the  frame),  then  staple  it  into  the  frame.    Lastly,  attach  the  cabinet  handle  to  the  center  of  one  of  the  2’  boards.    

8.  Attach  the  door  to  the  frame.    You’ll  need:  

• The  door  • The  frame  • The  hinges  

 On   the  2’   long  side  of   the  doorframe,  measure   in   from  the  outside  4”   in  each  side.  Attach  the  hinges  to  the  doorframe.  Make  sure  they  are  flush  with  the  bottom  of  the  doorframe  on  the  2’  side.                              Now,  attach   it   to   the  top  of   the   frame.  Specifically,  attach   it   to   the  upward   facing  side  of  this  horizontal  board:    

9.  Now,  the  last  thing  to  do  is  attach  the  rest  of  your  hardware  cloth  around  the  top  of  your  frame.    You’ll  need:  

• Your  frame  • Hardware  cloth  • Wire  cutters  • Staple  gun  with  staples  

                                                             10.  You  now  have  a  completed  brooding  box!  If  you  plan  on  keeping  your  brooding  box  outside,   I   recommend  temporarily  nailing  or  screwing   in   the   frame  to   the  box  and  adding  some  secure  hooks   to   the  door  so   that  predators  cannot  get   into  the  box!