I bought eight chicks in February from Rural King. I made a chicken brooder out of a clear plastic bin, the size of a storage chest. The lid is made out of mesh wire stapled to wood scraps. I had the brooder in my dining room until the weather warmed up a little and then moved them to the garage. The dining room was getting very dusty. I had a heat lamp in the garage for the chicks at night and then had them outside during nice days in a chicken tractor. The tractor was built from chicken wire and recycled lumber. I did not worry about predators because I was home and the chicken tractor was in the backyard. The chicks were put in the garage at night. Plus I have a dog and cat to "protect" the chicks. When the chickens were big enough and my cat and dog ignored them, I let them free range in the fenced in yard.
