Couple questions about getting chicks this spring.....

I can't answer about the hatcheries, I've never ordered from one before.

But, I keep my chicks in a rabbit cage (plastic bottom, wire top) on top of a dog crate (but a table or counter top would work the same, to keep the dogs out). The wire top allows for attaching the heat lamp, I buy the one with the big clamp on it. Once they are about 6 weeks, I put them in a giant sized dog crate on my covered porch, as I can still clamp the light on the outside, directed in the door.

 

A friend of mine used a stock tank with wire on the top to keep her barn cats out. She kept them in there until they were big enough to go out in the chicken pen (didn't need light and couldn't fit through the wire fence). It worked great for her.

 

Have never ordered from those hatcheries...
Keep the chicks away from the dogs. Ideally in a out of the way room with a door (to close when needed). For a brooder you could use lots of thing, I've seen everything from fish tanks to just plain old boxes.
Happy chicking, just wait til your bit by the fuzz butt bug, there's no going back to sanity

 

I have 4 week old chicks from McMurray and they have been great so far. No problems so far and they are quite happy, although still young. 8 EE's, 2 BR's, 2 RIR's. As for brooder, don't be afraid to get creative. We are using the spare bedroom closet. Pics on that here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=289420 A lot of people use rubbermaid totes with great success. Topic can be found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=282970 I've seen pics of kennels used with a brooder lamp clamped to the metal door. Here is the Brooder thread as well. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6233 It is full of great ideas. Good luck and have fun!

 

I've never ordered from a hatchery before either, But we kept our chicks in the garage away from the other critters. We have a German Sheperd, and terriers... I used 2 large storage containers, and built a lid using the rabbit fence mesh and wood, to keep out anything else like racoons, possiums, cats, etc...

 

Quote:I ordered 6 chicks last spring and kept them in a hamster cage. I had a halogen lamp over them and they were fine. As they grew older I got another hamster cage and split them up 3 in one cage and 3 in another.

When they started to get BIG (cornish so they grew fast) I had to make a structure and move them in my garage. As they get older you need to give them more space per bird and heat isnt such a big issue. You see people posting that it has to be such and such degrees but do your best and they will be fine.

I wouldn't be putting them outside in a barn if it has any drafts. Chicks are VERY sensitive to drafts. If you hold a chick in your hands he will fall asleep (usually) and if you exhale on him he will shiver and wake up.

 

Get a Rubbermaid storage bin. Nice high walls (for baby chicks - they'll learn how to hop up and out soon enough, if you don't put a wire lid on it!). Hang a heat lamp over it. Keep it in a separate room; I used my bathroom. (My dogs and cats were really annoyed that I was closing that door - I live alone, so I never closed it, previously. They used to visit me in there all the time.)

The Rubbermaid bins are inexpensive and will keep messy stuff from soaking through to your floor (through cardboard boxes, for example). Plus, it's easy to dump out when cleaning. I just closed my chicks in a cardboard box when I needed to clean the brooder, then plopped them back in when it was all fresh again.

 

I have a medium size parakeet cage that I'd like to convert into brooder for two chicks. Does that seem feasible for 6 weeks?

 

I purchased from Meyer Hatchery so I don't know anything about the other 2. But we kept our 5 chicks in a wire rabit cage that we put ion a larger cardboard box so it wouldn't be drafty. We kept the cage in our garage but any place would work as long as its warm enough.