In this YouTube demo, Victor Justin Rhodes (Speaker A) recounts a past failure where 100 chicks were lost to predators and explains how, after consulting with his mentor Joel Salatin, he built a "bulletproof" brooder that is rat‑proof, skunk‑proof, mouse‑proof, and snake‑proof. He describes the brooder’s construction: half‑inch wire mesh on all sides, tin sheeting, a framed roof, and an 18‑inch high wall to accommodate deep bedding that provides both insulation and microbial sanitation. The brooder is housed in a 40‑gallon Rubbermaid "porta‑brooder" (≈2 ft × 4 ft) with a recommended stocking density of four chicks per square foot (≈32 chicks for three weeks). He walks through operational details—heat lamp placement, keeping water ultra‑clean, and using grit for the birds. Feeding is highlighted: a split‑test between a standard starter feed and New Country Organic feed, with the latter being preferred (twice the consumption). Turkeys are also raised in the same system, receiving both turkey feed and chick starter. The dialogue includes practical troubleshooting (dead chicks, crowding, water removal) and casual banter. Rhodes mentions collaboration with Chris Slattery of Polyface Designs to create a smaller, garage‑friendly version, and he promotes his upcoming book "Homestead Builds" (June 1 launch) and a Kickstarter that will make the bulletproof brooder design widely available, directing viewers to homesteadbuilds.com.
Chapters
Couple years ago, we got 100 chicks, put them in this stall, and absolute massacre. Little holes in the side of these chicks, not one alive. Some shoved in the corner over there, some shoved in the corner over there. There's a big hole right there underneath the wall. The boys said they saw a rat. You came out here and there was a rat in there? And so we built this bulletproof brooder. And that was a couple of years ago, and I consulted with Joel Salatin, my mentor, and he basically instructed me on how to build a bulletproof brooder. And we have— this is it. That was a couple of years ago, and it's paying its dividends now. Fully confident getting these chicks and turkeys— enjoy that process. Oh, it's the chicks!
Hello!
Yes, is it just one package or two? There's, uh, two of them. Okay. Is it two different tracking numbers? Uh, it sure is, yeah. Okay, perfect. Okay, perfect, thanks. Why does it matter if it's two different tracking numbers?
Well, because we had two different tracking numbers. Okay, so one was saying that it was gonna arrive later today.
Okay.
And I was just wanting to try to minimize going twice.
Hey, it's Gideon that's sick, not everybody else. Oh, you're sick. You're feeling a little sickly too, but Johnny, you got to get on dishes. How you feeling? Any better? Why is the smoke alarm going off? What's going on, Beefcake? No fire here. The horse is here. We're logging the land with horses.
I think we sighted forest crash. I don't know.
It's like a goose.
Oh no, they're turkeys. All right, Lily's in the back with them. Are they all right?
Chicks?
Turkeys?
They want warmth more than they want anything else, so we got that going. Having eaten, they're just living off the mama's egg. See if somebody will find it.
They're pecking.
They're not going for it. Maybe this guy will do it. We need to get the water out of the chicken tractor. We're gonna put this big water in the chicken tractor, grab the little water out of it. There you go. I wasn't going to get them out yet. I was going to make sure the brood— the heat lamp's working. Oh, Gampy and Gimpier in here.
You got Gimpy and Gimpier. I wonder who's the gimpiest. We should get a heat vent in here, Papa. Just have a vent run up to over here, showing them the water.
How many times you've done this?
Let's see, since we got back from the American Farm Tour, so 5 years. Yeah, 5 or 6 years.
In other words, you don't know, can't count. Here, let's put that out here. One's dead. Yeah, one or two dead. It's one. Pretty good.
I always expect to shut the door and not hear anything because— but then there's this mad rush right there.
I'm bulletproof. Rat-proof, skunk-proof, mouse-proof, mouse-proof, snake-proof brooder. It's basically a cage height in there. Half-inch wire mesh everywhere, tin around the sides, framed roof with half-inch wire mesh.
There's mesh under the tin all the way around.
Yep, there's mesh goes up the side of the wall. It's up high for— to accommodate the deep bedding. It's about 18 inches up high. You step over into this one, the deep bedding's lower. You probably only have to switch it out maybe every 2 years, add a little bedding in each time. The microbial life in the bedding is a heat, but it's also a sanitizer. They will not make it if they don't eat that turkey feed. We're gonna figure you out. Okay, you finish in here. See the chicks? He's hanging on. I won't drop you. I won't put you in there. We bought this food local. We didn't have our new country in. I'm concerned because I've done this food before and I haven't seen chicks really like it, and I don't see them really clamoring to get it. 2 hours later, Jonas got them some grit. That's good, that's important. It does look like they've gotten in there. That's good. Good for you guys. Evening time. Rebecca was able to pick up some New Country Organic feed while in town. That's tried and true around here, so we're gonna put it out to our chicks. Obviously, it's very important that chicks get a good start or they're gonna suffer the rest of their lives. Oh, look, I caught a turkey eating the turkey feed. That's very good because you cannot get any other turkey feed local than that. They're eating the chick starter feed too. I've done a split test where I put this feed and the New Country Organic feed in together, and they ate New Country Organic twice as much. See how light colored that is? See how dark colored that is? There you go, guys. Looks like their brooder must be working, crowding around it. I do have a light on the turkeys. A little more fragile in the beginning. Keep the water super clean. We're good. Billy, did they make it?
I haven't looked under the thing yet. When I came out, they were scattered around like everywhere, but they all ran under the thing when I came in the front door.
Yeah, check under it real quick. Oh, he's alive. Oh, open that door, we'll get some warmth. Barely touched that. Now they are a day old.
Probably they're more than a day old.
Oh yeah, I guess they are 3 or 4 days old. I feel like they maybe should have eaten a little bit more.
I love Rachel.
What am I gonna do?
Look at this one, it's so cute.
You like the gray one?
Yeah, there aren't— there's only one gray one.
Maybe a third more chickens. And we have the— oh, tried and true feed, and it's about— I don't know, we have a lot of it left too, so that's encouraging. That just means people aren't eating a lot yet. You know, I guess its only problem And I wish I would have— I don't know, if it weren't for the injury and the remodel and everything and the EIEIO farm we got going on, we might have cleaned this up a little bit before we filmed. It collects cobwebs, doesn't it? Well, the other problem is like, this is a UFC cage fight right here. This is a cage fight for chicks, okay? Who's gonna build a framed box in their stock. Well, many of you, if you grow 100, 200 chicks a year for meat, plus maybe 30 layer chicks a year for leg laying, and then 15 turkeys, then, then yeah, this is worth it. So what if though you're on the home scale? I've, I've put chicks inside, 12 to 24 chicks. It's not bad. They are in our dining room, so that way we can keep track of them. Well, let's talk about this first thing. This is the brooder. I like to call it the porta brooder. This is the big box that you contain them in. I contain them in— I use a Rubbermaid. This is a 40-gallon. It's probably 2 foot by 4 feet. And remember, you can put 4 chicks per square foot up to 3 weeks. So do that math, that's, uh, 8 square feet in here. So that'll be about 32 chicks till they're about 3 weeks old, till they transition outside. But many of you are, you know, beyond that inside point. You don't want chickens inside or whatever, uh, or you have more than 24, you have 2 different batches. So what if I've gotten with Chris Slattery of Polyface Designs and we've partnered and we're going to build one of these but smaller, like, I don't know, like this. And something that you could just put in your garage. You know, we built this custom in this stall. You guys want to see something satisfying? Sweeping off cobwebs. Anyway, we're gonna make this bulletproof brooder accessible to all. How about chickens for everyone? Oh wow, this is bad. Oh. We'll be kickstarting my new book, Homestead Builds, June 1st, book 1, and it will include that brooder, Lord willing, and the creek don't rise. We got a waiting list and there's free bonuses just for getting on that list. Check it out at homesteadbuilds.com.
