Ok, (first timer hatcher). I incubated my eggs as they were laid. Now I have 8 peachicks, of varying ages with a 4-6 week spread between them. They are presently in a kiddie pool brooder, one on top with a big square cutout and screening on it. They are starting to get crowded and I am thinking I need to move the bigger ones out. option 1). I can get another set of pools and make another brooder, but headroom is only about 15-18 inches and it is getting hot in garage). 2) I have a roofed and fenced carport with gates that I use for my young ducks divided into 'apartments' as they grow out with rubber matting I can hose down. I was thinking of adding more fencing(for height) up to the roof and adding perches. I have used heat lamps in there with a tarp on the outside of the carport tied to the fence as windbreaks. The sides are just fenced with combo 2X2 fence and hardware cloth along the bottom 3 ft. It is also inside a 4 ft. fence that is hotwired. The only issue I have sometimes are rats and mice (no snakes for a long time ;0). The rats have eaten the plastic type screening I used to roof over some mini ducks...so I was going to use chickenwire (which the rats usually don't chew) (I also have traps and bait traps for rats...but this is the country)...So they would be in a rubber matted, roofed area. I can also have tarps on 2-3 sides inside and I already have some tarps I use for sunshades along the south side... but the east and west are open mostly for ventilation. It is 80-95 here daytime and maybe 70's at night... I could put a lamp shining into the pen in one corner if they want to get near heat or I could provide a rubbermaid bin with shavings sort of like a nest (with a side cut out), with or without a roof.. they would be protected from rain/most of the wind and be able to see outside at least partly...and have a lot more space and it wouldn't take very long to fix up.
