Is it OK to put 4 day old baby chicks in a tote in the bathroom?

[motherhen21]

What's people takes on baby chicks in the bathroom?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Welcome to BYC. I brood in the bathroom - specifically in the bathtub. I have a large, garden style bathtub that is never used for it's intended purpose so it serves as the dog wash tub and, in season, chick brooder......the husband even built me a custom topper for it for when I'm brooding. I will say, be prepared for dust -- LOTS of dust.....dust on EVERYTHING.

 

[thornoelle]

I also have my brooder in the bathroom. I have 9 cats who would love a chick snack so that is where they will stay until they are big enough to be outside.

 

[Grub Digger]

How big is the tote? If it's not tall enough, they will hop out. I also brood mine in the bathroom.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

I'm currently brooding three chicks in a bathroom in the lowest tech situation you could imagine. I challenge anyone to show me an uglier "brooder" than ours

Started with a cardboard box, a heat lamp and three day-old chicks. By the third week they were flying to the top edge of the box. My husband starting taping additional pieces of cardboard to make it higher and less friendly for them to perch on the top. He also re-enforced it with plastic webbing to keep them from busting out. It's not pretty but it has worked:



We started putting them outside in the pen when they were just four weeks old as, due to upcoming travel, we have to kind of fast-track these little ones. (More about that here if you are interested.) Now they are seven weeks old and only come in at dusk to spend the night in their rickety brooder box. Which is good. Because it gets old very fast having them in the bathroom! We took the lamp away about a week and a half ago - the bathroom is adjacent to my office and I just keep the heat at about 65 degrees in my office at night for them.

They've been sharing supervised time in the yard with my other two hens for a few days and all is going well. Planning to transfer them to the coop for good this coming weekend. Keeping fingers crossed on that, as I know that 8 weeks is young to integrate a flock, but the "flock" is only two hens due to recent predation and one of them is a bantam so these girls are already bigger than her.

Anyone want my brooder when I'm done with it?

 

[Gnarled Carrots]

I'm brooding my chicks in the bathroom. The area that they're in isn't as important as the temperature, size, and accommodations of the brooder. Personally, I like the bathroom because it's easier to control the temperature and keep the dust contained! Although I do move my flock out by the patio door when I can supervise the house cats around them so that they can get some natural sunlight. When they're strictly in the bathroom, I'll turn the lights on at sunrise and off at sunset to artificially simulate sunlight (although keeping the red brooder light on to keep them warm all of the time!).

 

[realsis]

I will brood in my bathroom too. I decided it's much bigger than my laundry room. it all depends on what exactly do you mean by tote? when you say tote I automatically think of tote bag, in that case, a tote bag would NOT be ok. However if it's a tote like for storage say something that would fit Christmas paper wrapping rolls and more than yes that works. you will want to cut out the inside of the long lid and replace it with wire so the lid still goes on but it's got wire where they can breathe and you can see them but they can't fly out (hope that makes since) these kinds of totes are long and deep. maybe 4 feet long. you can get them at most stores for storage. they make good brooders. so which tote do you have?

 

[sawilliams]

Mine aren't in the bathroom, hubby doesn't want indoor chickens. But a tote or rubber tub is fine. Here is mine.. well sort of. It's about a 2x3 standard large storage tube. Dh made a chicken wire lid before we even got the chicks

yesterday we moved them to a large dog crate, becuase at 3 weeks the tote was looking a little small, they ate loving the larger space.

.
If you have space in your bathroom go for it, mine would have been on the living floor or kitchen table if they were inside. The garage seems to be the best place for us

 

[Gnarled Carrots]

We also are moving from a smaller dog carrier to a larger dog crate when they're too big