brooder choices - advice?

[slackwater]

First, let me say that I got myself into a pickle - I'm really only set up to handle 20-ish chicks, but ended up having my bator hatch date right around the same time as I will get my MM order, so I will be getting 2x as many chicks NEXT WEEKEND as I am set up for

Currently, I brood the baby-babies in a clear plastic bin, then they move to a large wire rabbit cage (still inside), and then the rabbit cage moves outside and they stay in that for some time before they are released with the flock (with a heat lamp the whole time). I have two 4wk RIRs that will got outside (in the cage w/a lamp) in a few weeks.

So, obviously, I've been looking for other options...once they're past the hot-hot temp stage (1-2 wks or so), I'm looking at moving them into a) http://www.petco.com/product/108191/WARE-Deluxe-Pop-Up-Playpen.aspx or 2 of these b) http://www.critter-cages.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=601. Either setup would be kept inside during the early stages, and then moved into the basement, garage, and then outside. So, I guess what I'm asking is:
a) does either seem easier as a general set up?
b) obviously, the wood cages would be the longest-lived...but are they worth the expense? I can get them for $85-ish each...not sure I can make a brooder of that kind of quality for that price. Or...maybe I should at least give it a try.

What sayeth you? Go the easy pre-fab route, or build it myself?

 

[wildorchid053]

mine are up stairs for the first two weeks, then we bought 2x4s and chicken wire for the lower level and will build a coop big enough to house 20 chicks till it is warm enough to go out.. we will use the wood to finish the coops and runs . they can stay in the first coop we built last year till the others are finished. we did the coop downstairs last yr and it worked great.. dusty but good not too bad since it is unfinished anyways

 

[slackwater]

HOw big was it, for 20 chicks? And did you have a "top" of wire or something else to keep them in?

 

[rancher hicks]

I use a 4' round kiddie pool, the heavy stiff plastic kind and surround it with 36" fencing. I also use it for broody hens, putting a nest box inside.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Go someplace that sells refridgerators or washing machines and get a big cardboard box.

 

[crazyhen]

Quote:
ditto for me. I find that you can put them together if need be on the ends and just make it larger as they grow. I lay wire across the top to keep them from flying out. Have fun.

gloria Jean

 

[CoopCrazy]

If you have an aldi or Walmart close by you can ask for their used watermelon or pumpkin containers.. Nice and tall big boxes.. They are thick and you can just take the whole box outside and put on your garden when they are done..

 

[duck&chickencrazy]

I use one of these and cover it with chicken wire and it works very well!!

http://actionpartyrentalsinc.com/Rental Items/images/BBQ Grills/4'-horse-trough-shallow.jpg

 

[OutInTheStiks]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=251344

This was my solution. It stays in our basement. I took it apart at the end of last season and stored the doors. It will be reassembled again in a few days if our first incubator hatch goes well. This year, I am going to put down a tarp on the floor before placing the brooder on the floor to make clean-up a little easier.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

It's really up to you & what your budget will bear. I am broke & lazy/busy & a cheapskate so I use cardboard boxes that are free & can be composted when they get dirty. I am also in South Florida so my chicks go outdoors early. If you can afford it I like the pop-up kennel best, it seems the easiest to clean and would also hold in the shavings best. But then I wonder how you would rig up your heat lamp? Would it be a hazard if it touched the material? That wood cage looks nice, but I think it would make a mess around & under it. If you know you'll be brooding a lot of chicks again & again you should just build yourself something to suit. You wouldn't need a lot of materials or know-how to make a simple box of plywood with pieces of wire shelving for a top. You could make a separate tray for the bottom that the box would nest in and then you could lift & carry it intact or take it apart for easy cleaning.