Help!

[dansanddogs]

Hello All! I am bringing home 8 three week old buff orpingtons today. I plan to put the girls in my garage until they are big enough for their coop. What in the world can they live in? I have a portable dog fence I used for our litter of puppies....would that work for the chicks? By the way, did I mention this is my first time at having chickens?

thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Pyxis]

The portable dog fence might work, although you might have to go around the bottom with chicken wire so they can't squeeze through the spaces. A kiddie pool with chicken wire wrapped around it also works pretty well.

 

[Flock of Sheetz]

I'm new at this too but I think the puppy corral should work just fine. I have mine (39 chicks) in one of those baby play yards and they seem to be doing just fine. I attached cardboard around the inside to about 18 in high to prevent drafts and the bottom is lined with a few layers of cardboard and then covered in pine shavings. They are in my garage and I have the heat lamp on a pulley so I can adjust it based on the ambient temperture, which has been fluctuating a lot lately. They seem to be doing great, so I guess it works, and there's anough room for me to go in and sit with them for bonding time

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! The dog fence would work as long as they can't fly out of it. At three weeks they are going to be streching their wings. Do you have a lamp for them? At three weeks they will more than likely not be fully feathered out. I've used dog run panels before out in the garage. They were quite high and the chicks could not escape from it. I put them bedding on the floor and the lamp at one end of it so they could get away from the heat if they needed to cool down. Here is a pic ~

Here is a lovely section of the learning centre on raising chicks ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-and-raising-chicks

wishing you the very best of luck with your new chicks and enjoy BYC

 

[TerryPy]

I use the large plastic/resin storage benches people us to keep outdoor furniture cushions etc in. I have two for storage and when I need the brooder I remove the lid and move it indoors...works great.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! There are some nice brooder ideas in the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-chicken-brooder-designs-pictures also this time of year you can often get the big cardboard boxes that watermelon etc come in from grocery stores, they make really good disposable brooders.