Brooder size for 25 Freedom Rangers?

[Life is Good!]

New to meat birds here. Our layer chicks we received last year were past brooder stage when we got them (about 4wks old). So, this is new to me!

I'm working on dimensions now. Got 25 Freedom Rangers on order for delivery April 13th. I figure that'll give me a few weeks to figure out a super brooder, perhaps re-useable, perhaps not.

Our barn is un-heated, not well insulated space - with no large animals to help heat up the space. The chicks will spend the first week in the house in a huge rubbermaid tub with a lid. The next two-three weeks, they'll need a bigger brooder.

But what?!

I've searched the Brooder images on the 'Raising Baby Chicks' section of the forum. Saw two I really thought might work:
1. a kids' swimming pool with fencing on sides and top to create a round 3' tall brooder.
2. a watermelon crate from grocery store. Obviously one-use only.

I'm hoping to put the chicks in salatin-style tractor at 4 weeks (weather permitting). Maybe 5 weeks. But that's a whole lotta BIG chicks in a fairly small space for a fairly long period of time. Are the above two brooders big enough?

What works for you? Opinoins and input please.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

What we did is we got 1" x 1" x 8' from Home Depot and built a square frame about 2' tall and stapled hardware cloth to it. We made one long side and two smaller ends. I use my garage wall as one side. The hardware cloth is the most expense you'll have but I use small screws to attached the sides so this way I can take it apart and store it flat for the next babies. I fill it with shavings and hang heat lamps from above. If you are afraid they will get over the top, I used my window screens and laid it on the top to keep them in. Good luck.

 

[jessicayarno]

Large appliance boxes work great as first time brooders, the only problem I had was finding something to hang the heat lamps on, I ended up rigging an old shovel handle to hang them on. I used them twice. The round swimming pool sounds like a great idea too. Just make sure that if you use a box you put down a tarp or plastic cuz it will get wet and it isn't easy to move with all of the bedding in it.