Brooder in house?

[orcasislandchickens]

How about this. You could keep the aqarium on the porch, next to the kitchen for two weeks. They would be close, you could watch them and enjoy them and socialize them. Meanwhile you could get your coop ready with a corner to move them to that would have a setup that includes the extra heat they will still need for several more weeks. At two weeks you could give them a daytime move to their new quarters and see how it goes, make sure the new outdoor brooder setup works, and that you feel they are happy and safe and then move them outside.

 

[Chix-in-GA]

Here is a pic or 2 of my brooder. I have 5 RIR and 1 BR at the moment. I have the brooder in my bonus room upstairs above the garage. They do get a little smelly but if you keep it clean, its not so bad.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Yeah, I wouldn't have trusted my dogs with the chicks in a million years, and I found my cat hunting them at least 4 times, infact he used to sit on the mesh top on the brooder and taunt them by sticking his claws in the mesh.

... That was until one day when they got older, were all roosting on the side of the brooder, and one of them (Henzilla) pecked him right on the nose LOL

 

[mksenoj]

Aquarium isn't going to last long. And the smell is bad.

 

[curliet]

For the first week we kept ours in a huge rubbermaid tote on the front porch (enclosed 3 season type) with screen over the top and the red heat lamp clamped on the side. then we moved them out to the garage and into one of those big tank things like they have at the feed store, with a wood and hardware cloth top and a hanging lamp inside. I was so glad to get them off the proch, it opened into the living room, and the noise and smell and dust was really something. But that week gave them the chance to get stronger to handle being out in the garage. And now, they're 8 months old and in a coop Rick built in the garage. How ironic.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Oh my yes. A brooder in the house is almost imperative this time of year in the cold weather. All chicks below the age of 5 weeks need a good, constant temperature. I use a clear plastic storage container from Wally World or what not.

I use bee hive sleeves has toppers and hang my feeder from them. I have a small thin lipped water dispenser evelated from the pine shavings.

It works really well for just about 8 chicks up to the age of 5 weeks, then it gets pretty crowded.