Brooder/baby run?

[cozycritters]

Until they're old enough to go outside, we want to build a brooder/baby run in our nice garden shed (empty currently). We read somewhere that a wading pool is a good solution for that, BUT, I am very concerned that they would just hop out of it. Would we be better off making them a frame/box out of wood with higher frames?

 

[gway2008]

I use a tall sided livestock water trough with pine shavings in the bottom for my babies. It works great and they can't get out. I would think they would jump out of a wading pool. Even my bantams jump pretty high.

 

[Mahonri]

Keep them cool. It hit 115 today.... tied the record set in 2005.

 

[popcornpuppy]

We have a brooder box made of wood and the sides are at least 18 inches high. At 2 weeks of age, my chicks were able to jump up and roost on the edges. We covered the box with a window screen to stop them so that they didn't fall or get hurt. Depending on how old your chicks are, I would recommend any type of enclosure that can keep them from jumpping out for their own safety, such as a wooden box, a cardbord box, a kiddie pool with high sides or sides that you build up yourself could all work. The important thing is that you have at least 1 square foot of space per bird and they have enough room to get under a heat lamp to warm up or move away from it if they get too hot. A dog/puppy execise pen could also work to surround an existing structure. It is a small, collapsable fence, about 3 feet high and you can find it at just about anyplace that sells dog supplies. Places like Walmart, Petco, Petsmart, etc. all carry these dog pens. Here is a link to walmart's website to show you the pen that I am referring to.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3946902

 

[Suziers]

Mine flew out of their enclosure at around 9 weeks. I'd put a top on whatever you put them in just to be safe.

 

[Judy]

NOAA says your temps are 85 or so at night and well over 100 during the day. Plenty warm enough for them to be outside now. As Mahonri said, the problem will be to keep them cool enough during the day. Get them outdoors, and make a swamp cooler (blow air that they can move into, with a fan, through wet hay or other material during the heat of the day.)

You did not say how old they are, or what breed. My two week olds jumped/flew onto a 3' tall roost. They can jump and fly very young, even better than as adults if they are heavy breeds.

 

[cozycritters]

We're preparing for eggs that are currently in the incubator...

They're an assortment of breeds, so we'll see what ends up hatching. We just wanted to be prepared in time.

We're having to even further coyote proof our (suburban) backyard as that's how we just lost our whole flock last week...