Which of These 6 Chicken Brooder Boxes Is Best for You?

Safe and adequate heat output, energy-efficient, and easy to set up and maintain. These are the qualities of a great chicken brooder. And, one of the 6 best chicken brooder boxes in our list offers all three, but is it right for your brood? Keep reading to find out. 

The 6 Best Chicken Brooder For Sale 

In a hurry? Here’s a quicker way to find out what are the top chicken brooder for sale, including our choice for the best brooder box: 

Still unsure which brooder is best for you? Keep reading as we talk more about each one listed above.

The Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 1200 Brooder has the same advantages as the smaller Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 600. So why is it the best chicken brooder box? Well, it can accommodate more chicks. 

The larger size is an asset, even for those starting with smaller broods, as it offers room to grow as you get more comfortable with raising chicks without taking up too much floor space. 

It also gives you the option of putting a smaller brood into a larger enclosure without worrying about the temperature, and chicks love having more room to run around and explore! The even heating provided by this brooder will keep your chicks comfortable even as they explore the farthest reaches of their enclosure.

Despite the large brood capacity, the Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 1200 uses very little energy so that you won’t see a big change in your electric bill.

This brooder is a great option for nearly anyone raising chickens due to its versatility, size, and quality. Whether you are starting small or already have a larger brood, its heating system is large enough to keep your chicks nice and cozy in nearly any size of indoor enclosure. 

If you prefer to use a heating lamp in your brooder, look no further than the Farm Innovators Model 3700 Baby Chick Starter Home Kit. 

This starter kit is great for budget-conscious beginners as it includes an adjustable enclosure – you can add or remove panels. But, you’ll have to buy a bulb.

This brooder is best suited for up to 15 chicks, making it a good choice for smaller broods, but take care if you’re limiting yourself to just a few chicks. Chickens are social animals (1).

Suppose you like this enclosure style but don’t want to be limited by the size. In that case, you can purchase two kits and set them up together to create a large enclosure, big enough to raise as many as 30 chicks. 

If you plan to keep them in the chick brooder for a few weeks, you might want to limit yourself to 20 chicks to make sure they have enough space to move and grow comfortably.

This brooder is great for beginners as it includes a heating source and an enclosure. It’s also ideal for smaller broods or anyone who would like flexibility over their enclosure size. 

The Rural365 Chick Heating Plate Brooder is ideal if you are raising many chicks at once or need something to heat a larger enclosure. Despite its large brood capacity, it’s also slightly smaller than the Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 1200, so you don’t need as much space.

Since it is an adjustable heating plate design, it offers the same benefits as the Brinsea models but at a slightly more affordable price point. You can adjust the Rural365 Chick Heating Plate Brooder to 26 different heights, offering you a lot of control over the temperature of your brooder and giving your chicks plenty of room to grow. 

Need to raise a large flock with a limited amount of space? Looking to save a bit of money without compromising on the quality? Then this is the brooder for you. You’ll get all the benefits provided by a plate-style heater without breaking the bank.

The Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 600 Brooder is a favorite of chicken brooders and chicks alike, and for a good reason. The standing heating plate design makes it easy to control your brooder’s temperature without worrying about a heat lamp’s potential fire hazard while also allowing it to grow with your chicks.

The absence of a heat lamp is also beneficial because extra light can disrupt the baby chicks’ natural sleeping rhythm. Baby chicks can become aggressive to one another – especially if you use the wrong bulb to heat the brooder. 

The warmth provided by the heater’s plate style is also much closer to what young chicks would get with their mother hen, with them comfortable nesting under the heater like they would their mother’s wings.

Even though the design is easy to adjust, it’s also quite stable, which is important as playful young chicks love to explore and climb. Just be sure to place it on a flat surface to be safe.

Here’s a look at the Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 600 Brooder: 

If safety is a concern and you’re looking to keep your chicks healthy and happy in an indoor environment, this brooder for chicks is ideal. However, it won’t be suitable for larger broods or outdoor enclosures (think barns, sheds, garages) as it works best in a room with an ambient temperature of 50°F (10°C). 

This panel heater from Cozy Products CL is a great choice if you are looking for a heat source to transition from the poultry brooder to the chicken coop. 

Its compact standing design makes it a great choice for a wide variety of brooders and setups, though you’ll want to make sure it is properly weatherproofed to avoid problems if placed in an outdoor coop. 

The product does not offer a capacity limit, but you’ll want to monitor your chicks’ behavior and keep an eye on the temperature to make sure they are warm enough if you use a larger enclosure.

If you are looking for versatility, this is the chick brooder for you. With proper weatherproofing on the cables, this heater can keep your chicks comfortable from the brooder to the coop, even in colder temperatures.

If you are looking for an all-in-one kit to get you started raising chicks, the Incubator Warehouse Stand Up Chicken Brooder with Heater Plate is a great option for you.

It takes the guesswork out of the process by providing an enclosure and heater combo that is ideal for up to 30 chicks. There is no need to worry about providing enough space or keeping your chicks secure – they’ve done the work for you.

It’s not just the enclosure that’s great, though. You also get a sturdy adjustable heating plate that will grow with your brood and offers all of the regular benefits of a plate-style heater.

Want to check in on your chicks without disturbing them? No problem! This chicken brooder box includes a viewing port so you can easily check up on your brood.

It includes everything you need to establish your first chick brooders and get started raising chicks, making it a perfect choice for someone just starting out.

Things to Consider when Choosing Your Chicken Brooder Box

When learning how to raise chickens for the first time, there is a lot of information to take, especially when purchasing a suitable chick brooder, more so if you’re looking at homemade chicken brooder plans or a DIY chicken brooder. You’ll need to learn about container styles, heat sources, accessories, and everything else that chicks need. 

Style

When raising baby chicks, you will want to find something that is easy to clean, safe to use with your chosen heater, and big enough that they can’t escape as they grow and begin to try and fly.

Ideally, you’ll look for brooders that offer a similar experience to raising the chicks with their mother hen. 

Adjustable plate chicken brooders like our best chicken brooder box, the Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 1200 Brooder, is for all backyard chicken keepers due to its ease of use, safety, and performance. If you opt for this brooder style, you’ll want to make sure that it’s very stable and placed on an even surface to avoid any risk of harm to your chicks. 

If you don’t want to worry about adjusting your heater’s height, you might prefer an option like the Cozy Products CL Cozy Safe Chicken Coop Heater.

There’s an option to use heat lamps for a chick brooder however it’s a fire hazard and more expensive to run. 

Capacity

The capacity of your chicken brooders and heaters will depend entirely on how many chicks you plan to raise. Not sure if you can legally raise chickens in your area? Check here. 

If you are just getting started, we recommend sticking with a smaller brood while you get accustomed to caring for them and learning their needs. It doesn’t mean you can’t purchase brooder supplies with a higher capacity for the future as you expand your brood though, there is no harm in having a larger heater or enclosure without filling it to capacity!

Enclosure

Many people find that a plastic children’s pool or large Rubbermaid containers work perfectly, while others prefer to build a wooden enclosure similar to an outdoor coop. 

You’ll want to look for chicken brooders with a stable base and walls to support your heat source, which is also tall enough to prevent adventurous young chicks from escaping into the dangers outside their brooder. 

Depending on your brooder’s setup and location, you may also add a mesh covering over your enclosure to keep chicks safe from curious children or chicken predators (3) while still allowing for good airflow. 

Regardless of the enclosure style you choose, you’ll also need to provide your chicks with easy access to food and water. Adding extra bedding of pine shavings can make them extra comfy inside the brooder box. Not sure what to feed chickens? We have a helpful post with everything you need to know!

If for any reasons you want to stop your hens from brooding, check out our article on how to break a broody hen.

Chicken brooders like the Incubator Warehouse Stand Up Chicken Brooder with Heater Plate, and the Farm Innovators Model 3700 Baby Chick Starter Home Kit are great choices if you aren’t sure where to start.