Qestions before I get my first baby chix

1. How big of a brooder will I need for 4-5 chicks?

2. Can it be as simple as a cardboard box or should I build a wood one? (these will be my first and only flock unless chicken math kicks in!)

3. How high should the walls be?

4. good place to buy chix feed online or go to feed store (40 min away).

5. Ideally, How long will I keep them in brooder (afraid to put heat lamp in coop for fire safety reasons...one garage fire is enough for me)

That's it for now.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Mo

1. I kept six in a brooder 2x4 feet and 18 inches deep till they were 4 weeks old. They were getting too big at that point and the choices were either a larger brooder or go outside to the coop/run. They were so happy to be outside in the run.
2-3. A large cardboard box will work fine. The sides should be at least 18 inches with a lid. They get wing feathers the first week and will start trying to fly. They do need plenty of ventilation so screen for a top would be good. I have seen many people use the plastic kiddy pools with a cardboard wall around it. Basically the bigger the better.
4. Go to a feed store, shipping on the chick food will be too expensive. Buy the 50 lb bag! They will use it all before 18 weeks are up unless you find a miracle way to keep them from wasting it.
5. You can buy an Ecoglo which is safe but expensive for a one time deal. Otherwise secure the cord of the heat lamp so it cannot fall into anything flamable. I used a screw through the loop on the clamp of the light reflector to make sure mine wasn't going anywhere. Make sure they have about 90-95 degrees at one end of the brooder to warm up at for the first week. You can drop the temp by 5-7 degrees every week.The other end should be much cooler, even room temp.
Have fun and good luck with your little ones.

My first brooder was for 8 chicks, and I used a large wire dog crate...maybe 2.5'X4',with the top removed. The brooder was out in our garage. I lined the inside lower half with cardboard to stop drafts. When the chicks were maybe 3 weeks old I made use of a plastic puppy "play pen" that was 3'X5' that I could put outside on warm, non-windy days for a few hours and move the chicks outside to scratch in the dirt and weeds before moving them back to the brooder.

At some point the brooder wasn't big enough and I moved the play pen into the garage and placed it on a piece of scrap linoleum. I finished the run before I finished the coop, so I could still move them outside for some time every day. They were at least six weeks old before I permanently moved them out to their new coop and run, but nights get pretty cold here in the Colorado mountains, and I was worried about putting them out earlier, even though I had stopped using a heat lamp in the garage. Perhaps nights are warmer where you are so you don't have to worry as much...oh you're in Colorado Springs! I'm just West of the Springs near Woodland Park. I'd be happy to compare notes with you on feed store locations.

I liked the dog crate over a cardboard box because chicks create an incredible volume of poo, and I can imagine that the bottom of the cardboard box would get really soggy and foul, but the plastic bottom of the dog crate could be easily cleaned.

If you have enough room, here is the cheapest, most easily cleaned brooder ever.



I have used a dog crate also, but they love kicking the shavings out of them

A cardboard box will be absolutely fine if that's all you can use. We've raised all our chicks in cardboard boxes and had no problems.
A fridge box always works well for larger broods of chicks.
As we only ever had two at a time, a microwave box was of a more suiting size

Anywho, you can keep them in there until they're ready to go out into the coop, 4-6 weeks depending on your temps (60-40F respectively)

Not sure about the chick feed one, I've only ever gotten it from my local feed store.

The walls should be pretty high if you don't want the chicks flying out and running riot, however you could use a bit of chicken wire to put over the top of the brooder then you can have the walls as low as you want.

card board box is fine, So is a tote (like they sell at walmart to store stuff in) as long as the sides are at least 18inchs tall (at least that is what i prefer).
call around to petstores near you that are closer then the feed stores. petstores will often for no extra charge order chicken feed when they order their dog food. If they know there is a market for chicken feed they will begin to stock a few bags of it.
Also some walmarts carry chicken feed, Some petstores keep it on hand (in farm areas). So just call around to petstores and other stores near you asking if they carry or can order chicken feed and what it will cost. Find the best price you can!

Buy a good book about raising chickens. It will answer about 90% of your questions now and in the future.

I used cardboard boxes that I cut and taped together til I had the size I wanted. They will fly over the sides at a fairly young age. My walls were about 2' high and I had to put vird netting over the top after just a few days. (You can buy bird netting in a large store garden dept. for next to nothing.) If you only plan to brood once I'd go hunting for an refrigerator box or the like. An old screen window makes an ideal brooder cover. Or just raise them in the coop from day one.

Check out our learning center at the top of the page and the stickies in the various forums, and you probably won't need a book unless you just want one.

My chicks grow up in the coop, are never in the house or in a brooder. They won't need much heat or for long in summer. I have power in my coop but would run extension cords for that 4 weeks or so if I didn't. Another option is a garage or porch. They make a huge amount of dust (dander and dry poop) if raised in the house, and it can't be good to be breathing that for weeks.

It is probably cheaper to drive 40 minutes than order online, but you might check it out. Around here, I can buy feed in the regular grocery store -- it costs a little more, but these days, factoring in gas and wear and tear on a vehicle can make a lot of difference.

Panth said:

If you have enough room, here is the cheapest, most easily cleaned brooder ever.



I have used a dog crate also, but they love kicking the shavings out of them

Click to expand...

Totally agree with you! It's also great for messy ducklings!