Anyone use these pens for baby chicks?

[chickencoop57]

I'm presuming your gonna raise them indoors due to the cold weather, this time of year, cause I wouldn't raise chickens indoors, due to the reason most folks have already mentioned. I built a small above ground pen, almost like a rabbit pen, 4'long x 2'9" wide. I put a small cardboard box in it with shavings and a heat lamp. Once they put some feathers on, they were on theyre own and grew up to be my best egg layers. Of course, theyre were only 6 of them and I kept them in the pen for about 8 weeks or so, while I was building coop and run. I raised my next 6 in the same pen, the same way.

 

[Sea Wolf]

I used taller cardboard boxes taped together in a ring. Set it on a shower curtain for the bottom, extending past the cardboard underneath. Layer of newspaper and then shavings. Did this in the cellar, not in the house living area. Kept them there until they were old enough to fly up and perch on the edge of the cardboard. Then they got booted out of the house into the "Birdy Bunker". Couldn't stand them in the house any more and they had to go outside ... in February. 40 chicks all did well in this with a small electric heater, a light, food and water. I had an outdoor pen built already and just made a box out of the foam insulation panels.

This is the "door"

Looking inside.

Under construction.

 

[jspeese]

Although I have done it in an emergency, I wouldn't recommend brooding chicks in my house over the long term. Even under the best management they produce odors, which permeate everything (furniture, carpets, etc., just like tobacco smoke). We moved several years ago and my present 8x8 coop and 320 sq ft covered run also served as the brooder coop for my present flock, which is now showing some age. I'm thinking about ideas for a brooder myself, either building something or just getting rid of the old flock when it's no longer productive, cleaning and disinfecting and starting over. And building or getting a small temporary coop and run for my 2 blue Cochin hens until the new birds are bigger...wouldn't want to get rid of the Cochins as they are special; they will probably be with me till old age calls them "home." Not that all chickens aren't special, but face it, some are more for utility purposes.

 

[jspeese]

Although I have done it in an emergency, I wouldn't recommend brooding chicks in my house over the long term. Even under the best management they produce odors, which permeate everything (furniture, carpets, etc., just like tobacco smoke). We moved several years ago and my present 8x8 coop and 320 sq ft covered run also served as the brooder coop for my present flock, which is now showing some age. I'm thinking about ideas for a brooder myself, either building something or just getting rid of the old flock when it's no longer productive, cleaning and disinfecting and starting over. And building or getting a small temporary coop and run for my 2 blue Cochin hens until the new birds are bigger...wouldn't want to get rid of the Cochins as they are special; they will probably be with me till old age calls them "home." Not that all chickens aren't special, but face it, some are more for utility purposes.

 

[chickencoop57]

I used taller cardboard boxes taped together in a ring. Set it on a shower curtain for the bottom, extending past the cardboard underneath. Layer of newspaper and then shavings. Did this in the cellar, not in the house living area. Kept them there until they were old enough to fly up and perch on the edge of the cardboard. Then they got booted out of the house into the "Birdy Bunker". Couldn't stand them in the house any more and they had to go outside ... in February. 40 chicks all did well in this with a small electric heater, a light, food and water. I had an outdoor pen built already and just made a box out of the foam insulation panels.

This is the "door"

View attachment 2032874

Looking inside.

View attachment 2032875

Under construction.

 

[chickencoop57]

I used taller cardboard boxes taped together in a ring. Set it on a shower curtain for the bottom, extending past the cardboard underneath. Layer of newspaper and then shavings. Did this in the cellar, not in the house living area. Kept them there until they were old enough to fly up and perch on the edge of the cardboard. Then they got booted out of the house into the "Birdy Bunker". Couldn't stand them in the house any more and they had to go outside ... in February. 40 chicks all did well in this with a small electric heater, a light, food and water. I had an outdoor pen built already and just made a box out of the foam insulation panels.

This is the "door"

View attachment 2032874

Looking inside.

View attachment 2032875

Under construction.

View attachment 2032881

There ya go, Sea Wolf!

 

[5templetonchicks]

Hi I'm planning on hatching in a couple months. Wanted to know if anyone has experience with this sort of set up.

Want to keep them in my spare room to age 8 weeks. Will hopefully have approx 20 birds.

My main question is, how do you clean it? I have a few ideas but I want to know what other people have done.

You guys ROCK. thank IA

I used a similar Setup when I started with my 5 one day old chicks. OMG - never again! You can not imagine the dust, that gets into everything. I used Coop Clean for their bedding once they got a little older, and I’m sure that did not help, even though it kept the smell down. Don’t forget, they also need to be covered, otherwise they fly out, and then not only do you have to find them, you also have chicken poop everywhere. I kept them inside for about 2 months, but have not done it since. I now have someone else raise them until they are old enough to go into the coop.

 

[JKay98]

I have raised many babies in my house, and I use a setup similar to the one you listed. I like to use paper grocery bags to line the bottom and up the sides a bit. I then use pine shaving on the bottom. At first I use a small amount of shavings until I know they won't eat it by mistake, I then add more as they get a little older. I spot clean daily and I find it much easier, and smells better than using anything else. (I elevate the food and water a bit so that it does not get shaving in it.) Then when you are ready to clean, I just roll up the paper bags with shaving inside and compost them. Sweep and mop the floor then put it all back down.

 

[Henry&Friends]

i use an old rabbits cage as a brooder, it has a slide out tray that I line with a feed bag for easy cleaning. It’s got a front hinged door, top hinged door, and the whole top is also on a hinge and can be opened. I’ve found the whole setup fits perfectly into my bedroom closet, with room to move the brooder closer or farther from the heat lamp. And I keep the waterer up on a hunk of concrete/cinder brick to prevent wet bedding. It works great for me, because I normally brood about a half dozen chicks at a time, and when I integrate them into my flock, i can just bring the whole setup into my coop and fashion a fence around the opening front door.

 

[365username]

I have used those pens, not for chicks tho it was for some ducklings I had bought. You might want to get something else tho chicks grow really fast.