At the ripe old age of nine days old, my chicks are discovering the joys of their rapidly developing wings, and are now occasionally fluttering their way around their little world. One of my Dominique chicks, who is an adventuresome sort, attempted to get up to the edge of the brooder while I was feeding and watering the crew this morning. Obviously, it was high time to advance to Level II of Baby Chicken Containment, as I'd rather not come home one evening to escapees. DH offered to make a screen top, but I'm not a big fan of metal screens, as I'm very likely to poke myself repeatedly with any exposed edges (I'm a klutz - don't judge me, man). So, I wandered around Home Depot and Family Dollar this afternoon trying to come up with a suitable alternative. After quite a bit of moseying, inspiration struck at last.
It turns out that a cheap mesh laundry bag cut along a side seam and the bottom seam to form one large, single-layer panel, then stretched across the brooder top and tied down to secure it makes a more than adequate cover. Granted, it looks pretty craptacular, but the chicks don't mind - well, except for Miss Dominique, who was last observed standing on one of the perches and eyeing the new "sky" appraisingly.
They grow so fast... *sniffle*
It turns out that a cheap mesh laundry bag cut along a side seam and the bottom seam to form one large, single-layer panel, then stretched across the brooder top and tied down to secure it makes a more than adequate cover. Granted, it looks pretty craptacular, but the chicks don't mind - well, except for Miss Dominique, who was last observed standing on one of the perches and eyeing the new "sky" appraisingly.
They grow so fast... *sniffle*
