Any Ideas!!!!!

[wildriverswolf90]

I'm wondering if any 1 has some ideas for a cheap easy tempory pen for when the chicks are old enough to go outside for a little bit each day!?!?

 

[poseygrace]

How many do you have? I recently ordered the Ware Premium Hutch (google it, or go to the Ware website) and it's perfect for 6 or so chicks. I have mine in there with a broody at night, but they free range with her during the day. I especially like it because it's really easy to move around.

 

[stone_family3]

you could try one of those hexagonal play pens for kids (usually cheap on CL) also maybe a wire dog kennel.

 

[CC1892]

Quote:
I saw somewhere on this website, that someone used one of those huge, heavy duty cardboard watermelon cartons. After-all they are made to take a beating!
Thought it was a great idea, the carton is strong, and almost as big as a playpen...and free at places like Sam's, Walmart or Costco!

 

[10 point]

a pen made out of spare chicken wire and wooden post would be fairly cheap and easy to move

 

[lbartsch]

We used some 2foot high containers that we had set aside for raised beds. We just arranged them in a circle and put them inside the circle. They loved it. I think just about anything that creates and enclosed area will do.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I had two chicky-play pen set ups for my 8 chicks. The first was actually a puppy play-pen that could be set up either in a square or a rectangle. I set mine up in a rectangle that was about 2.5'X7.5' and used binder clips to fasten a piece of screen over them, mostly to keep them in although it also discouraged casual interest from our cat. I also made a larger play-pen/mobile run from 3/4" PVC pipe and plastic poultry netting.

I used 10' pipe that I cut into 7' and 3' lengths for the base and top of the structure and then cut more pipe into 30" lengths to create the height, one for each corner and one middle piece to support the 7' sides, using the appropriate connectors that you can pick up at the hardware store. I made it 30" high so that there would be a 6" skirt of netting left at the bottom. While it wouldn't deter a serious predator, I could put a piece of lumber on top of the skirt to keep the structure stable and push the netting down to take care of any dips or depressions in the ground that a chick might squeeze under. I made it 3' wide so that I could clothes-pin more 3' wide poultry netting onto the top. This pen was set up in my garage and I could give my chicks some exercise and variety on cold rainy days or time that I wasn't home to supervise their play. I either moved it outside or used the puppy play-pen when I could be near by to keep an eye on things.

 

[GardenState38]

Quote:
x2!

I also got the run that goes with it, and it makes a perfectly safe, secure, interim holding pen for my chicks when it's nice enough to have them outside.
The good thing about it, too, is that it can double as an isolation or sick ward if I should ever need it.

Once the real coop is ready, I may eventually move the Ware Hutch into the garage. There, it might become a good place to keep the girls if we get any REALLY cold winter nights and my conscience won't allow me to keep them outside in the coop!

It's not REALLY cheap, but it's easy, and I don't have to worry about them if I need to step inside for anything, or take my eyes off of them for a few minutes! Nothing's going to blow over onto them, and nothing will be able to reach in or swoop down onto them!