We are using the ~$13 sterlite walmart totes. Easier to prep one and transfer than bounce chicks around while cleaning. For 25 chicks, I lasted 1-2 weeks before the poop overcame me. Clean before & after work by laying clean paper towels down in the morning and switching totes at evening. Hose out and dry.
Any large cardboard box will work. Shipping crate? We used a hot water heater box for the chickens with netting on top. Downside to cardboard, when the waterer leaks, it gets messy. Put a trash bag, tarp or old shower curtain down under the box to protect your carpet.
After the first week, I stuck them in the grow out coops. Now that it is cooler, I'm playing with options. At 1.5 weeks, the little turds figure out they have wings and a lid is needed. So is ventilation. Good luck with your choice.
I've used a 2'x2' rabbit cage for the 2-4 week stage with 1/4" hardware cloth floor covered in wood chips and cardboard. Poop is real. Even in the grow out coops, the chips have to be raked and the top layer removed weekly. After 6 weeks, half the coop is stripped to the wire floor and gravity cleans it.
And since amazing things happen at 6 to 8 weeks (see Kiki's posts), have some extra bird cages for isolation. I'm leaning towards growing out to 10 weeks, just not sure we are going to get there. QB#4 had an aggressive male that was separated at 6 weeks and crowed for the next 2. Not sure I gained much by waiting. He was literally climbing the walls and crowing incessantly. He, the extra males, and the misidentified female were harvested at 8 weeks. Things calmed down after that.
...I think it's a girl only because how huge it is.
you have all convinced me without even twisting my arm. I'm repurposing materials my father gave me from his deck, so far it's working out.
