1. Will a 1' x 2' carboard box work as a brooder for 6 chicks (hopefully 3 buff orps and 3 EEs) (also I have 2 of these...so could cut the side off of each and tape together to make 2' X 2' brooder. 2. How long do chicks stay in brooder?? Thanks Sarah I am sure as soon as I hit submit my little brain will say ooh ooh I have a question!!!
That works for only a couple days and then the box is soaked from spilled water, poop and smells bad. Since you will be keeping it indoors, you want to keep it clean. Try a cheap rubbermaid box you can hose out. They stay in it till feathered out and it is warm enough outside. A lot longer than a box will last.
Any hints on how long till they tend to feather out?? What is warm enough...I'm in Tx gets pretty warm sarah
Yep - a rubbermaid storage plastic type box makes a great brooder. I have three of them that I use and you can grow out 6 chicks to 6 weeks in the largest one that Walmart sells. I use a utility knife to cut the middle out of the top of the lid and replace the opening with hardware cloth to keep the little babies from getting out when they start trying to fly. For less than $20 you can get one of these containers and best of all, when it gets dirty you can just take it out and hose it off and you're good to go again. You'll need to keep your babies inside until they are fullly feathered out (at LEAST 6 weeks, more like 10 wks if you are in a really cold climate) OR until they are 6 weeks AND the temps outside don't drop much below 60 at night. With only 6 chicks, they can't huddle and produce a lot of body heat like a larger group would. Enjoy your chicky babies!