Custom chick brooder box 100x60 cm with thermostat and tray

Every spring I bring home day-old chicks, and every spring I fight the same cardboard box with a lamp hanging over it. The cardboard goes soft, the lamp swings on its cord, I guess the temperature by eye, and the bedding is damp by evening. I would rather order one proper brooder once and stop improvising.

Here is what I have in mind: a box roughly 100 by 60 cm, plywood frame and walls, moisture-resistant treatment on the outside, smooth inside with no splinters and no fastener heads sticking out. The top is mesh with a hinged lid that opens with one hand and stays open on a catch. One corner is the warm zone, the far corner stays cool on purpose: the birds have to be able to pick their own temperature, so heating the whole box would be a mistake. The heater must be a closed type only, firmly mounted on a height-adjustable bracket, run through a thermostat, and secured so that it physically cannot fall onto the shavings. The cord goes into a cable channel, away from the drinker and any splashes, and the socket is protected by an RCD. No bare bulbs hanging on trust: that is a fire, not heating.

Underneath there should be a pull-out tray that comes right out and can be washed whole, and above it a raised grate so the birds are never sitting in damp litter. The side walls need ventilation holes with mesh against flies and rodents: fresh air has to come in constantly, but without a draught at chick level.

What I need built:
— box about 100x60 cm, plywood, moisture-resistant finish outside, smooth surfaces inside;
— mesh top with a hinged lid and a catch that holds it open;
— warm corner: closed-type heater on a fixed height-adjustable bracket, thermostat, thermometer at the height of the chicks' backs;
— unheated cool corner so the birds choose the temperature themselves;
— anti-fall mounting for the heater, cord in a cable channel, socket on an RCD;
— pull-out washable tray plus a removable raised grate above it;
— brackets for a feeder and a drinker so nothing tips over;
— a small viewing window so I can watch without lifting the lid;
— mesh-covered vent holes giving steady airflow with no draught;
— lugs or spacers so a second tier can be stacked on top later;
— flat-pack delivery with instructions and a fastener list, I will assemble it myself.

Timeline is about a week and a half, the budget is open to discussion. Anything about bird health and brooding temperatures I check with a veterinarian; from you I need the build itself and the safety of it.