Need a bigger indoor brooder, ideas?

[mummyof4]

We have 5 polish chicks (although I think 2 might be miniature bantams) & 6 sexlink chicks, the polish are roughly 5 weeks old and the sexlinks are roughly 3/4 weeks. They are in separate brooders but mix together if they are roaming the front room. I know your not meant to mix different age chicks but they are all pretty much the same size and not had any fights at all.
I’m still building the outdoor coop/run but it’s been delayed as my 17mo was in hospital with measles and pneumonia so my priorities changed.
Been back out there today and made a good amount of progress so hoping it should be done by next weekend

But I’m going to need a bigger indoor brooder as the chicks are fast outgrowing theirs any cheap ideas as the coop/run is costing an arm & leg already.

Also How old do the chicks need to be before they can go outside? We are still getting low temperatures of 39.7•f at night and also been quite windy today.

Added a pic of one of our polish chicks

 

[Ms Clucky]

We used cardboard boxes. Every time they needed more room, we would just grey tape more box to it. We would even put little windows in it when they don't need as much heat by cutting out a hole and using a that plastic wire and zip ties. We would use pvc for roosts and light set up. Once they got a little bit bigger, we had one big enough to put a little sticks in there for them to play on.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

I won't be much help with the brooder ideas, but your chicks should be mostly feathered out at 5 weeks, and 39 degrees isn't bad--at least it's above freezing. So I think your polish babies can go out there anytime at this point, but adjust them to the temperature first, preferably; like, taking them out for a few minutes to an hour one day, then the next day, leave them out there all day and bring them in at night, and after that, leaving them out there 24/7 should be fine. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't seem TOO terribly cold.

 

[mummyof4]

We used cardboard boxes. Every time they needed more room, we would just grey tape more box to it. We would even put little windows in it when they don't need as much heat by cutting out a hole and using a that plastic wire and zip ties. We would use pvc for roosts and light set up. Once they got a little bit bigger, we had one big enough to put a little sticks in there for them to play on.

I don’t think cardboard would work for us as we have 2 cats that would definitely eat them. They’ve only just started going outside themselves and within the 1st hour one of them brought back a headless pigeon
I also think my 17mo would be getting right in that brooder with the chicks, he watched them for 2 hours straight the day we brought them home, definitely going to be animal mad that one

 

[mummyof4]

I won't be much help with the brooder ideas, but your chicks should be mostly feathered out at 5 weeks, and 39 degrees isn't bad--at least it's above freezing. So I think your polish babies can go out there anytime at this point, but adjust them to the temperature first, preferably; like, taking them out for a few minutes to an hour one day, then the next day, leave them out there all day and bring them in at night, and after that, leaving them out there 24/7 should be fine. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't seem TOO terribly cold.

Oh great thanks. It’s an alright temperature during the day just drops to around 39 at night so as soon as the coop/run is done I will start adjusting them

 

[muddy75]

they should be fine to move outside at 6 weeks especially if you’ve weaned them off heat indoors. it’s always taken me a few days for them to go inside coop at night on their own. if it is pretty during the day, you can give them some yard time and bring them back in at dark.

 

[blackdog043]

I don’t think cardboard would work for us as we have 2 cats that would definitely eat them.

What are you using now?
As long as your top is made of wire and secured well, it should be fine to keep cats out.

 

[Ghosty]

I'm getting ready to make a wire brooder with 14 gauge 1" x 1/2" wire for sides and top and 16 gauge 1/2" x 1/2" wire for the bottom. You could go cheaper and use the 16 gauge 1" x 1/2" rabbit wire at the farm store, make some legs for it and get a slide out tray to catch poop, or add a solid bottom and use bedding. Look over some rabbit wire cage videos on you tube. All you need is the wire, j clips and pliers. You can get it all at a TSC, including the slide out tray.

 

[mummyof4]

What are you using now?
As long as your top is made of wire and secured well, it should be fine to keep cats out.

Started off with a large storage box and now they have a big indoor rabbit cage as I wanted more height so I could move the roosts up.

 

[Wolfstorm82]

This is a brooder I built and havr on my porch.