So, I don't usually put a cover on my chick brooder until they're 3 weeks, but I might need to go get it to protect them from my daughter helping. She knows how to give her big chickens food by throwing it at them. So far she has 'given' the 3 day old chicks: a pair of scissors, a paper towel, an empty plastic container, my eyeglasses, daddy's car keys (twice), a dog biscuit, some chick feed (that one was good, but she spilled a lot of it), and her bottle.