brooder picture. is it safe?

[junior67]

ok just got hardware cloth on the outside of my dog crate for the chicks. I have cats to had to keep paws out of it and chicks in. The back side that is near a wall has plastic over part of it but I put it down at an angle so air can still get in that side as well. The side to the left when looking at it is covered in plastic to keep kitties paws out and hopefully help with dust on that side. Is there enough air getting in with the top and 2 sides completely open and the back half way open? Once I get their food dish in their and MHP I will take a pic of the inside of it. Only 3 days till they come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


oh and for right now there is glad press and seal in between the door locks since I can't figure out what to put there. The wire gets sharp edges when I cut it (may have to have my husband file it down with something) so put that there to see but not sure it will work or I like it. It goes go on both sides so attached to itself and the bars. but there is a space under it for kitty paws to sneak in even though the cardboard is up high enough for a couple days once they are a tad bigger they will be over it so need to fix that too.

 

[Corbdee]

ok just got hardware cloth on the outside of my dog crate for the chicks. I have cats to had to keep paws out of it and chicks in. The back side that is near a wall has plastic over part of it but I put it down at an angle so air can still get in that side as well. The side to the left when looking at it is covered in plastic to keep kitties paws out and hopefully help with dust on that side. Is there enough air getting in with the top and 2 sides completely open and the back half way open? Once I get their food dish in their and MHP I will take a pic of the inside of it. Only 3 days till they come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks very well ventilated, but I would definitely still couver the top with hardware cloth. The cats could easily climb the sides and get to the top where there's room to fit their paws in and grab a small chick.

 

[pvchicken1]

Looks Safe, but would cover the top with wire.

 

[junior67]

It looks very well ventilated, but I would definitely still couver the top with hardware cloth. The cats could easily climb the sides and get to the top where there's room to fit their paws in and grab a small chick.

the crate is 30" high or around there so they can't reach in that far no matter how hard they try. At least for the first week or so. Then I will probably cover it. Going to measure my cats leg and see how long it is and then see how far it can go down I think and then figure it out either tonight or tomorrow. I had plans on covering the top but it looks so far down.

 

[Corbdee]

the crate is 30" high or around there so they can't reach in that far no matter how hard they try. At least for the first week or so. Then I will probably cover it. Going to measure my cats leg and see how long it is and then see how far it can go down I think and then figure it out either tonight or tomorrow. I had plans on covering the top but it looks so far down.

You'd be surprised. And they can really climb even if it's tall

 

[junior67]

You'd be surprised. And they can really climb even if it's tall

the chicks can climb? from the top bars on the cage down to the bedding is 28" my cats reach (the biggest one) is 11" so still 15" from the bedding.


also should I put a branch or piece of wood in for a perch now (getting them from a feed store a 1 day olds) or wait a week or so to put that in?

 

[Corbdee]

the chicks can climb? from the top bars on the cage down to the bedding is 28" my cats reach (the biggest one) is 11" so still 15" from the bedding.


also should I put a branch or piece of wood in for a perch now (getting them from a feed store a 1 day olds) or wait a week or so to put that in?

I meant the cats can climb. My cats can scale my 4.5’ dresser. I like the idea of the small perch, by the way, but I would wait maybe a week

 

[junior67]

I meant the cats can climb. My cats can scale my 4.5’ dresser. I like the idea of the small perch, by the way, but I would wait maybe a week

oh ya my cats jump up on my daughters bed that is about 4 ft high so I know they can jump up on the cage. I meant that they can't reach down far enough to the chicks when at the top because of how high the cage is. But I think I may have some old shelving that we used for the top of our guinea pig cage that I can lay over the top of the crate too. Can't remember if there was any left or not so need to look. And just realized I have a thin line on the left that I need to cover so now have to take off all my zip ties around the plastic to move that over that little part too. well shoot. But would be too hard to cut a piece of hardware cloth that thin to fit there.

 

[Mellowmalt]

cats can probably stretch their arms twice as far as you'd think.

Chicks will start jumping on their waterers, the heater etc and easily get high enough.

To me the most important thing in the first few weeks is maintaining a good temperature and any kind of ventilation just lets heat escape instantly.

So the only kind of ventilation I try to provide is enough that the brooder humidity does not rise too much. Once they get bigger and poo more, more ventilation is needed but initially containing the heat is the important bit.

If you look at how small some ventilation holes on incubators are you will realize chicks won't end up suffocating unless they are completely sealed in (like in a car for example) but even cardboard lets air pass through it which is what I would use to seal the top.

Have you got your heating sorted, waterer that is raised off the ground and can't be knocked over, feeder ready.

 

[junior67]

cats can probably stretch their arms twice as far as you'd think.

Chicks will start jumping on their waterers, the heater etc and easily get high enough.

To me the most important thing in the first few weeks is maintaining a good temperature and any kind of ventilation just lets heat escape instantly.

So the only kind of ventilation I try to provide is enough that the brooder humidity does not rise too much. Once they get bigger and poo more, more ventilation is needed but initially containing the heat is the important bit.

If you look at how small some ventilation holes on incubators are you will realize chicks won't end up suffocating unless they are completely sealed in (like in a car for example) but even cardboard lets air pass through it which is what I would use to seal the top.

Have you got your heating sorted, waterer that is raised off the ground and can't be knocked over, feeder ready.

I am using a MHP so they brooder won't heat up at all just under the MHP will warm up for them so no heat to really escape from ventilation. The waterer is a nipple waterer that is attached to the side of the cage so can't be knocked over and can't get bedding in it. The feeder will be set today as my husband is fixing that all up for them since we are doing one of the plastic feeder bases and PVC so it doesn't fill as much as a mason jar would so less is wasted.

and I have owned/raised cats for the past 48 years so I know how far a cats arm can reach. We have had guinea pigs before and have a parakeet now and a hamster all of which my cats have been around and lived with. I do know how to keep things safe. My guinea pig cage was a lot shorter than this crate and the cats would sit and watch them but that was it. But I will see once we get the chicks in the crate how the cats are. They haven't once gone on top of the crate in the week it has been set up. I think because of how wide the bars are at the top so no place for them to really stand and get their footing.