Cardboard box brooder

[seafood]

Tonight I built a brooder from cardboard I got at Lowes. It total dimensions are 3'x5'. I am very happy with how it turned out.

My question is this. Should I put up a temporary wall to make the brooder smaller for the first week or so while the chicks are real small...and then take out the wall as they grow? I am getting 10 chicks. Or should I just leave the entire 3'x5' area open from day one?

Just thinking that the sq/footage might be too big for day olds and they wont hang together. Obviously I will have a heat lamp on one side.

Just looking for some feedback.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

They wait I built mine was to cut the end of the boxes and tape them to make them bigger. I would also tape up the flaps to make a big wall. Is that what you mean?

 

[seafood]

What I am saying is 3x5 too big for 10 baby chicks? for the first week or so?? I could get a scrap piece of cardboard or wood and "temporarily" reduce the size to 3x3 or so until they get used to their surroundings, eating, drinking etc.

 

[countryboy]

if you have a heat lamp on them it should be all right they will move closer or further from the heat as they need to . so i would leave it alone.

 

[BamaChicken]

The size will be fine. They will stay close to the light. Remember they flock oriented so they pretty much hang together.

 

[sweetshoplady]

I would say smart thinking to start at that size. We kept moving them to larger boxes and now have 2 that are taped together and they really like having a bigger place to run around.