Can they fit through this???(brooder)

[Dinos_rock]

My chicks are coming in a week or less and I don't have a brooder ready yet! I have covered a dog crate in a heavy duty plastic mesh stuff and I zip-tyed it on (See a pic here ). I am hoping the holes are small enough that the chicks can't fit through.

What do you think? Are they small enough? (It is a bantam egg next to it)

Also here is what is covering the front door. I think it may be too big....It is 1inch by 1inch (compared to a bantam egg) I'll replace it if it is....

But is there too much ventilation (is there such a thing?) since it is open on all the sides. I have a cover that goes on it, so maybe I'll use it to cover just half of the cage. I am going to put the brooder outside behind my coop so my other chickens can still see them. Is this a good idea or not?

It is in the shade the whole day. Or maybe I should put it half in the sun and half out. I don't really plan on using a light that much since it is over 110 degrees most of the time, but I will use lamp at night. (I'll see how the weather is and adjust the light accordingly.)

As far as predators go, I think the only real threat is my dog and she won't be able to get to them. I live in a city (with a small desert right next door, but I don't think there is any predators except maybe hawks.

Also a question that just popped into my mind was: do I feed them chick starter until they start laying then switch to layer pellets?

So any ideas or suggestions? These are my first chicks I am raising from one day old (I got my other chickens after they were mostly grown) I am afraid I'll do something wrong.....*insert nail-bitting smilie here* (we really need one of those...)

 

[Dinos_rock]

Anyone?..........

I don't mean to be impatient or anything, but I kinda have to hurry and get this thing ready for my chicks that are comin' soon.

 

[chickflick]

How many chicks are you getting? What's the low temp at night? If it's 95, then you shouldn't have to worry about a heat lamp.....you don't want to bake them. Is the brooder going to be put in a secure run behind the coop? Even if you don't see predators, doesn't mean they don't exist. Most come at night. Don't put the brooder in the sun... keep it in the shade. AZ sun is blazing hot!!! Otherwise, I think your dog pen covered in the mesh will work fine. Get going on your bigger brooder tho, they'll outgrow it in a few short weeks!! It's amazing how fast they grow. Start off with starter feed. I haven't seen "grower" feed around here. I just start feeding them layer feed around 4 months when they get close to laying. Enjoy your chicks!

 

[Akane]

I don't know if they'd fit all the way through it but I'd be worried about them sticking their heads out or part of their body and getting stuck halfway. An easy solution is to get a roll of finer mesh and some small zip/cable ties. These will just fit through the holes in the fine mesh and you can tie it to a panel with larger mesh. I did it for baby guinea pigs because I used panels with 1.5" openings.

I used really fine screen door mesh for them.

I also used an aluminum version of the same stuff to zip tie to the mesh covering the windows in my coop. Hopefully it will cut down on bugs since the only other opening is the door and it makes my coop mouse/rat/snake proof with the door shut.

 

[flakey chick]

You could line the inside with cardboard for a draft shield- at least 3 sides.

 

[chickflick]

I would think with temps at 110, that they would welcome a little bit of a breeze!! I also put cardboard around the sides to keep the shavings in, but this brooder is going to be outside...in AZ's heat. We tend to baby the chicks, but if they were born naturally, they wouldn't have all the protection we provide. Got to take in what the conditions are. Yes, we take precautions, but don't go overboard. You'll see how your chicks act...are they cold....give them a heat lamp....but again, this in summer in AZ, don't think he'll have to worry bout that!! Draft protection...yes, if needed. But, boy, wouldn't a breeze feel good with the hot temps? My biggest worry is predator protection since he's planning on having the chicks outside in the dog crate.

 

[Dinos_rock]

Quote:
I will put some cardboard around the sides to keep in the shavings. I'll post a picture later when I'm done. Oh, and I'm a girl btw.

 

[Emzyyy]

We just use giant plastic containers and take the lids off, but after awhile they can fly out.

 

[chickflick]

Sorry, Dinos_Rock. Hard to tell who is who with no names in signiture. Good luck with your chicks, girl!

 

[firebugfab]

Quote:
Looks and sounds like exactly what I'm doing only instead of an expensive dog crate, I bought a $9 kiddie wading pool, drilled some holes in it to zip tie 2' tall pieces of 1x2's to and then strung 1" chicken wire around it (2' high). I'm going to take a piece of 1/8"x1" flat bar that I have on hand and bend it into a circle and zip tie more chicken wire to that for a slip off top. That will keep the critters out and the chicks in. It will stay in a little outbuilding during the 100 degree days with a fan by the window for ventilation and MAYBE a low wattage light for the 90 degree nights at most. SOunds to me like your doing fine. My new batch of babies are coming next week!