cover/lid over brooder?

[blueheaven]

when will i need to put a cover/lid over my brooder?
the walls are about 2 ft high. they are starting to 'fly' a bit.

 

[jacyjones]

I'm new to hatching but I suppose sooner rather then later! You want to avoid accidents so as long as there is plenty of ventilation I would put a lid on!

 

[BeautifulBlue]

I have a kitty cat so mine are always covered with strong wire mesh. I make a lid out of the wire so its nice and secure.
I agree with the above post...if they're flapping, its best to cover them before you come back to a face-full of flying fluffs

 

[sben451]

We made a top for the large cardboard brooder box out of some hardware cloth (I put duct tape around the edges--that stuff scratches!). The piece of hardward cloth is bigger than the box, so I just lay it over the top of the box to keep the chicks from possibly flying out.

 

[chickiebaby]

btw any old window screen works great, and if you put your brooder light right on top of it that will hold it down.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Because I have dogs and cats in the house, I covered my stock tank with hardware cloth that I cut a little bigger then bent the edges all around to make a lid. It served to help keep the heat lamps from falling in the tank as well.

When the chicks got to the age they could fly out, I put a couple of 2 x 6's on the top of the tank so they could fly up to roost on them to get snacks and visit while I was changing water, feed, etc twice a day.

 

[RIgirl]

So mine learned to fly somewhere between 1 and 2 weeks of age. One flew from DH's shoulder to my lap last night

I'd go ahead and cover that brooder because pretty soon they'll figure it out. I just use a lace curtain, lets the light through but prevents flight.