Help please! Need to make a larger indoor living space for my chicks!

Hello-I am still very new to this group. I really need some good advice. I am a newbie and I made a huge mistake when I started my flock. I was inpatient and brought home two 4 week old chicks, one was "sexed" and another straight run. That is all this particular farm had. My plan was to start my flock with 5 chickens and bring home 3 younger chicks in September, which we did. Now I have created a huge age disparity problem.

I'm going to try and be clear. It's confusing. My three chicks are now 5 and 6 weeks old. The brooder that I created for them they have outgrown. Time just got away from me. The dimensions are 18 inches wide by 50" long and 13" tall. I never planned on using this for this long. They have to live inside with us for a bit longer that I had originally planned due to the age differences of the chickens that are in the coop (3 months now). So I am trying to figure out what material to use to give them more headroom. I will move them to our garage. I can still offer them heat because not all of them are fully feathered, but close. I could use an ex-pen that's 2 feet high and then cover it with hardware cloth and 1x2's, but I'm concerned about what to put on the floor of the garage. I don't want chicken poop everywhere. I would also have to get creative in creating a roosting area that's higher for them to practice roosting. So yes, I am looking for an indoor chicken living arrangement and I'm a bit stressed.

I have learned a valuable lesson here, but during my learning process I don't want to keep my chicks in a cage like environment, which is what my brooder is kind of like now for them. They are wanting to explore a little more.

To make matters worse, my straight run Phoenix turned out to be a cockerel AND I strongly suspect that my Black Australorp chick is a rooster too. Only time will tell I know, but I have a plan to get a 3 month old pullet from a local chicken farmer who is a breeder and then two 4 week old chicks.

If anyone has any ideas on what materials I can use to set up their bigger next level chicken home, I would greatly appreciate it. I don't have time to build anything as I want this done before I go out of town for overnight and so my husband won't be too stressed.

Thank you in advance.

Lisa in Seattle

Can you run out and purchase anything? I have my 9 chicks in this. They are nearly 3 weeks old and still have plenty of room. It is actually a rabbit or guinea pig cage. You can get Something like this at PetSmart for around $100. I'm also in WA!

Might I suggest you take a look at this? If you have a dog x-pen you are halfway there! I brood my chicks outdoors in the chicken run within full sight of all of the older chicks and adults, and because they are used to seeing each other integration was a snap! I used an x-pen as well. Mine is higher than 2 feet but with some creative covering you could sure make it work, I think.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors

Just FYI, I highly recommend Blooie's suggestion. What she does is what first came to mind and having your chicks and older ones be able to see each other is best. Anyway...go check out her post!

Thank you for your response! A possibility for sure. I just worry that their size needs more space? They are 5 and 6 weeks old and I think I have to keep them in it until they are old enough to stand up to 3 month old pullets (current age) whenever that may be. Hmmmm. I will keep this in mind. Thanks again!

Wow you have a great set up! If only I could be so lucky. Very small urban lot, but big enough for my chickens I say. Your article gives me some great ideas though. Thank you so much!

This is a situation I may just find myself in. Got my babies Sept 14th and I want to add more babies in March making the first batch 24ish weeks.

Oh, you are more than welcome, and thank you! Looks can be deceiving. My setup is in my back yard, in town, and my lot isn't all that big. I've learned over the past year that sometimes it isn't the space you have, it's what you do with it that counts! My coop is a shed styled building that Ken and I put up ourselves, and our run is nothing more than a few steel fence posts pounded into the ground, some inexpensive cattle panels, chicken wire and hardware cloth. Cheap and cheerful. It looks bright and airy, has plenty of room for the chickens, and isn't an eyesore from the street. At the time we built it, I was on the town council so it was even more important that I not have anything back there that anyone could squawk about. So don't worry. You've got this!

I think I could win the award for the smallest urban farm with a lot of 2,800 square feet! But the good thing is that there is no wasted space. I have a coop/run that is 4'x8', completely predator proof and then the dirt area that it sits on is about 10' x15'. I'm determined to make an attractive chicken garden, especially since our patio is right next to the dirt area! I have big visions. Thank you again for sharing your set up.

I for one would love to see a picture!