Indoor Chick Brooder

[CubbieFan88]

@K0k0shka and @Floof thank you both so much for the words of support and the ideas for future handling. I was skeptical if I was overreacting. A longtime family friend of ours (also a neighbor) told me "Its a good thing its just chickens, so its not that big of deal" and it made me question if I was being silly. I'm a huge animal lover and my kids are too. For us, they were pets & I questioned my own response. So I definitely appreciate you guys allowing me to feel justified in my anger & loss. My girls crying about their birds deaths broke my heart, but when other adults around me are saying "well they are only chickens" it makes me question my own emotions. We plan to definitely take further steps to protect these new ones coming in, which unfortunately means not as much freedom for them. They were given complete free range in our whole fenced in yard with come go access to their coop itself. Now my husband is talking about a fence inside the fence, so thus smaller area. Part of me is frustrated that we have to take further methods to prevent anything more when it was his irresponsibility in the first place. But again maybe I am overreacting I don't know. I definitely appreciate the support from you guys! I've always loved this website as a resource for the amazing community & help on here.

 

[K0k0shka]

@K0k0shka and @Floof thank you both so much for the words of support and the ideas for future handling. I was skeptical if I was overreacting. A longtime family friend of ours (also a neighbor) told me "Its a good thing its just chickens, so its not that big of deal" and it made me question if I was being silly. I'm a huge animal lover and my kids are too. For us, they were pets & I questioned my own response. So I definitely appreciate you guys allowing me to feel justified in my anger & loss. My girls crying about their birds deaths broke my heart, but when other adults around me are saying "well they are only chickens" it makes me question my own emotions. We plan to definitely take further steps to protect these new ones coming in, which unfortunately means not as much freedom for them. They were given complete free range in our whole fenced in yard with come go access to their coop itself. Now my husband is talking about a fence inside the fence, so thus smaller area. Part of me is frustrated that we have to take further methods to prevent anything more when it was his irresponsibility in the first place. But again maybe I am overreacting I don't know. I definitely appreciate the support from you guys! I've always loved this website as a resource for the amazing community & help on here.

You are most certainly not overreacting. What type of animal one chooses to call a pet is irrelevant. A pet is a pet. And even without pet status, even if counted as livestock, the chickens are still your property which was destroyed as a direct result of the neighbor’s irresponsibility. So there’s property damage, and there’s no way around that. If the dogs chewed up and completely destroyed your patio furniture, the neighbor should be just as liable. Property damage, when his dogs (his property) were trespassing. What makes this worse (for him) is that it’s a repeat offense and he was well aware of what the dogs were habitually doing, and yet refused to do anything about it. So it really isn’t “just chickens”. It’s property destruction and endangerment of your actual family. One has the right to feel safe on their own property. You could press the issue (I would) and you’d be in the right, no matter how you look at it.

Dogs aside, it would be good to give your new chickens more protection anyway. Maybe this is a good opportunity to reevaluate their living quarters. Free range comes with a constant risk of loss from predators. If it’s not dogs, it will be something else. With pet chickens, especially where little kids and big emotions are involved, free ranging really isn’t a good idea. It’s just more tears down the road. Save your kids a second heartache and keep the new chickens in a predator proof run at all times. They’ll be fine, trust me. People put way too much weight and human sentiment into the “free range” idea. Chickens don’t have a sacred right to roam unrestrained, and tying that up with human concepts like “freedom” only complicates things unnecessarily. If losing chickens has a high emotional cost for your family, then just don’t free range. The chickens won’t miss what they’ve never had, and will enjoy longer lives. My chickens live in a secure run and coop that they never leave, but it’s spacious and has things for them to do. They are healthy, happy and content with their lives. And my kids don’t have to cry over hawk or fox attacks.

 

[CubbieFan88]

You are most certainly not overreacting. What type of animal one chooses to call a pet is irrelevant. A pet is a pet. And even without pet status, even if counted as livestock, the chickens are still your property which was destroyed as a direct result of the neighbor’s irresponsibility. So there’s property damage, and there’s no way around that. If the dogs chewed up and completely destroyed your patio furniture, the neighbor should be just as liable. Property damage, when his dogs (his property) were trespassing. What makes this worse (for him) is that it’s a repeat offense and he was well aware of what the dogs were habitually doing, and yet refused to do anything about it. So it really isn’t “just chickens”. It’s property destruction and endangerment of your actual family. One has the right to feel safe on their own property. You could press the issue (I would) and you’d be in the right, no matter how you look at it.

Dogs aside, it would be good to give your new chickens more protection anyway. Maybe this is a good opportunity to reevaluate their living quarters. Free range comes with a constant risk of loss from predators. If it’s not dogs, it will be something else. With pet chickens, especially where little kids and big emotions are involved, free ranging really isn’t a good idea. It’s just more tears down the road. Save your kids a second heartache and keep the new chickens in a predator proof run at all times. They’ll be fine, trust me. People put way too much weight and human sentiment into the “free range” idea. Chickens don’t have a sacred right to roam unrestrained, and tying that up with human concepts like “freedom” only complicates things unnecessarily. If losing chickens has a high emotional cost for your family, then just don’t free range. The chickens won’t miss what they’ve never had, and will enjoy longer lives. My chickens live in a secure run and coop that they never leave, but it’s spacious and has things for them to do. They are healthy, happy and content with their lives. And my kids don’t have to cry over hawk or fox attacks.

Thank you so much. Definitely advice to consider while we rethink & rearrange things these next few months. I appreciate all your help & input.

 

[Iluveggers]

Hi! Hope this post isn’t too late! I took a watermelon bin (grocery store let me have it, they also use them for squash/pumpkin displays), and cut a trap door in the side of it. I could reach in from the top, or open the side door & they could come out that way and interact/be hand fed wet mash. I blocked the door with a large box so they couldn’t push it open, but honestly they didn’t try. I had 15 chicks in it until they were 4 weeks old. I covered with garden plastic fencing cut to the size of the box & used clothespins you hold it down. I added wood blocks below each waterer, and duck taped funnel shapes on to of the waterers to keep the birds from perching on top. Also added a few fallen branches for them to hop on/roost on. Here is a pic to help visualize! You can see the door cut at the bottom of the pic. Please update with your brooder & new chicks once they arrive!