New kiddie coop for cheap

[Raisetherooster]

I bought several chicks hoping to stick them in with my sweet, broody hens. Did not go well, but I managed to save all 9. I had to do my best to construct a hack job version of a brooder on the fly. My plan was to upgrade through out the week but I lost my job the next day, as well as the means to build what I had wanted to. As of right now I have my 5 week old girls divided into two cardboard water cooler boxes on my back porch, and I really need something better. It was perfect when they were little but it’s starting to get crowded, they are twice as big than they were in the attached photo. I found this pet pen on Amazon and I will be putting them in there as soon as they are to big to fit through the grate. (By Next week?) It’s six feet long and two feet wide. What should I do to affordably convert it to a suitable home for them until they a big enough to move into my coop? I have a piece of cow panel that I fashioned into a roof with openings to small for this to squeeze through, wood chips, and a basic feeder and waterer.

 

[nuthatched]

Can you just section off a section of the coop?

 

[Raisetherooster]

Can you just section off a section of the coop?

I tried, but it’s not going to workout. They would not be able to access the run, I don’t want them somewhere where they can’t get fresh air during the day. The mesh on the bottom is also hard for their little feet to walk on. My coop is elevated and not very large, but the run is huge.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Section off part of the run instead of the coop. If you feel the run is not predator proof enough for staying overnight in, then put them back in the brooder at night but they really should be out and about during the day at this age. It'll save you money (vs constructing a new brooder), get the integration process going, and give them more space to roam as well.

In case you're worrying it's too early, I have chicks fully integrated and moved in with adults at 4-5.5 weeks.