Brooder Materials Question

[TomOBedlam]

I have a shipment of baby layers coming in in the next couple of days, and have a fine assortment of brooder materials at hand.

Initially, I think I'm going to just keep them in a large plastic bin with hardware cloth over the top, with the necessary heating and substrate, of course. They'll be in the basement, which is finished and heated.

After they outgrow that, however...is there any reason not to just construct a cardboard pen in the basement with a tarp for the bottom, and spread pine shavings over the tarp? Then I could just gather the tarp edges into a giant sack to be carried out to the compost pile.

Would the cardboard stand up to twenty inquisitive chicks, as they grow and feather out? Would they pick at the tarp too much?

Advice please? And thanks so much in advance!

 

[Katy]

I'm sure that would work, but I don't know if you've raised chicks before or not so I'll warn you, and excuse me if you've already got experiance on this.....20 chicks are going to make a lot of dust and smell. By the time mine are 2 weeks or so they're either in a pen in the garage or the coop. No reason you can't keep them in the basement, but the dust they make goes EVERYWHERE!! My basement isn't even finished, but I prefer them out as soon as possible.

 

[rooster-red]

I don't think it would be a problem.

 

[TomOBedlam]

No, no, please, I need all the advice I can get!

I am a complete newbie at this! I've got six silkies so far, and 7 Buff Orps and 7 EE's coming in tomorrow. The silkies are only a couple of weeks old, and no big deal so far, but I know I'm still not quite prepared for what 14 more will do to the basement!

Will it be safe to have them out in the coop already, though, even with a heat lamp? We're building the coop next Saturday, and can easily enough run a heat lamp out there...but even though we're in Georgia, it's still pretty chilly at night and will be for another month or so.

Seriously, all I know is what I've read in books and on this forum and other websites. My pride is not at all bruised by whatever advice anybody might have to share, ESPECIALLY if it comes from practical experience!

 

[Katy]

Mine in the coop and the garage are fine with a heat lamp. I make sure there are no drafts. They've been out of my basement since they were 2 weeks and we've had temps down to zero quite a few times. The most important thing is to keep them out of drafts.