Do you keep a wire lid on your brooder?

[dirtbath]

I am using a 51 gallon rubbermaid tub as my brooder. It's about 2 feet high. Should I put a lid on the top made out of wire? They will be in my spare bedroom, so no threat of predators. Also, they are silkies so they can't fly anyway. But I don't want one to think he's "superman" and hop over the edge.

 

[hitgsd]

I don't know if you have to use a wire lid, but probably want to. I did not use a wire screen on my brooder until the day I walked in the room and the fuffy butts had figured out how to escape. Now I use the screen from the beginning just to make it a habit. My brooder is a large black rubber horse watering tank.

 

[Haunted Chicken]

I am using a 51 gallon rubbermaid tub as my brooder. It's about 2 feet high. Should I put a lid on the top made out of wire? They will be in my spare bedroom, so no threat of predators. Also, they are silkies so they can't fly anyway. But I don't want one to think he's "superman" and hop over the edge.

I've never raised silkies but I'm sure glad we had a wire screen over the top of our brooder last year. They hoped up on the water and tried to hop out of the top. I'm 99% sure I'm getting more chicks today, lol, still not 100%, but the brooder is set up with a screen again this year. I'm phobic about things and worry if something can go wrong it will

. I figure if there is a top they can't get out and the heat lamp can't slip down too low. No way that lamps moving, but I would still worry without a barrier. I have a cat that would love to get in and mother them too.

 

[yinepu]

I've never raised silkies but I'm sure glad we had a wire screen over the top of our brooder last year. They hoped up on the water and tried to hop out of the top. I'm 99% sure I'm getting more chicks today, lol, still not 100%, but the brooder is set up with a screen again this year. I'm phobic about things and worry if something can go wrong it will

. I figure if there is a top they can't get out and the heat lamp can't slip down too low. No way that lamps moving, but I would still worry without a barrier. I have a cat that would love to get in and mother them too.

we have a tom cat that likes to sleep with the chicks.. so here a lid is a must.. he's never hurt any (too fat, lazy and loves everybody and everything.. he's a strange cat who has 0 instincts as a predator).. he loves to snuggle up with any critter.. caught him keeping turkey poults warm last year.. they actually preferred him to the brooder lamp

 

[CarolJ]

I use a similar container for my brooder - although mine isn't as large as yours. I had some old screening for a screened door. I used a box cutter to cut around the lid to the container and put the screening underneath the lid. It works great! And I think it's important to keep a top on the brooder. I had one of my swedish flower hen chicks to jump over the brooder one time - ended up dying. So sad. I keep the top on it all the time now.

Here's a photo of my set-up.

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Here's mine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mikecnorthwests-chicken-coop

 

[Eggcessive]

I used a rubbermaid water tank and later a 4x4x2 ft high brooder of plywood. I just made a frame for the top and stapled hardware cloth for 1 and chicken wire for another and made a lid that lifted on and off. I attached it to the tank with C-clamps, and with bungee cords on the plywood.