Need a bigger brooder...

[cubbysan]

I recently bought 8 baby chicks of a variety of breeds. They are now 3 1/2 weeks old and getting huge. I currently have them in a 50 gallon tote ( the biggest I believe they sell ) with a screen over the top so they can't fly out. I am thinking in another week or so they will be too big to stay in the current brooder.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should use as a brooder until we can move them outside?

I do have an X-Pen that I can set up in my garage ( that is where they are now ). If I put newspaper and shavings down, would that be good enough. Would they feel secure enough with no solid walls? Would they be able to fly out of it, I think it is 36" high.

 

[AmyTx101]

i orignally had them in a big wire cage with newspaper down and cedar shavings.. here we are at 5 weeks and I had to go buy 2 my first home guinea pig cages.. so we have 24 birds in 3 different cages my 3 bigger ones are in one then 10 smaller ones in a cage and 11 in the other.. for one guinea pig cage at petsmart cost me 39.00 and and it has a top on it and the heat lamp does not melt the metal.. for your 8 could be enough and its not that expensive..and it has about 4 inches of plastic on the sides going up so its less mess too... hope this helps..they grow so big so fast dont they

 

[AmyTx101]

i also saw someone had a round playpen with a kiddy pool inside that could work too..

 

[1muttsfan]

I use large appliance (eg dryer) cardboard boxes from the local hardware store. Tape up the ends, cut a large hole in one side, and line with a heavy duty plastic bag, then wood shavings. Helps keep the dust contained a little, and after you are done you just throw it away.

 

[DianaMallory]

Do you have a coop for them? Finish brooding them in the coop. I am moving my little ones into the coop next week at 2 weeks old. I am sectioning off a spot for them so that I can introduce them to the older flock. But still keeping them safe from harm.

 

[cubbysan]

No the coop has not been built yet. It was supposed to start this past weekend, but with the remnants of Hurricane Isaac and then my husband having to fix a roof leak, it got pushed out.

I do have a kiddie pool, but I have three week old ducks, and I was going to convert that to there brooder until they are old enough to be mixed with in the pen with my adult ducks.

I'll have to look and see where I can get some huge boxes.

Maybe I can use the large dog crate I have.

 

[DianaMallory]

I first started my 11 in a dog crate, well they grew fast so my hubby built me a very large brooder box with chicken wire and 1x2 s, They started getting crowded in that, then came the coop! Then after that the run wasn't big enough so we built a bigger run! Then my foot went through the floor and we had to put new floor in the coop and of coarse I had to rearrange the inside of the coop. Now I have 5 new babies at 1 week old and the nesting boxes are going to be moved again, on the so I can get more floor space and keep them from pooping in and on them! They are going to be mounted on the outside with outside access to them. And one more roost, the chicks sectioned off and electric for winter and just maybe hubby can put his hammer away! lol! What I am trying to tell you is don't make the same mistakes I did, Do the math and make sure you build a big enough coop and run so you don't have to do any redo's!