What are your opinions on what's best for a brooder? My babies seem to still be pretty skittish even though I try and handle them frequently. Right now I have two banana boxes I joined as my brooder. On one end I put another one on top to make it taller so I could sit my waterer on a brick to keep shavings out. I'm wondering if I ought to do the same on the other end and make the whole brooder taller? They've realized what their wings are for and are taking to trying to fly, and am wondering if making the brooder would be better for them.
It's more important to have more floor space than height. You can always stretch some cheese cloth over the top to keep them in. Your chicks may be skittish due to the way you approach them. If you're reaching down from above for them, it's the same to them as a hawk diving at them to try to eat them. If you can find a table to place your brooder boxes on, cut a side access door into the boxes, leaving cardboard at the bottom to act as a hinge. If the banana boxes are wooden, then cut out the door and screw in some hinges to make it functional. This way your chicks will begin to trust you and become much more tame as you handle them from the side.
