New to chickens with a brooder question

[Desert Pyrate]

So we got our 6 chicks home on mondy and housed them in a closet under a lamp in a small rubbermade box. We just finished setting up our brooding box (from a dupont starter kit) in our garage. Our box is about 3' diameter and only about 18" tall. While in our closet, the chicks just walked around and maybe hopped up on the feeder. Once we put them in the brooder, they started to run around and try to fly. Is my brooder going to be tall enough or will I have to cover the top? I would hate for one of them to jump/fly out and get loose in my garage.

One other question, does anyone put anyting in the brooder for the chicks to roost on? I read somewhere that it's a good idea to put raised dowels for them to keep them off the feeder and waterer.

 

[Ravynscroft]

You will definitely need to put screen or poultry wire over the top of that asap... how old are they? At 2 weeks, they can fly up to the top of a 2 foot high brooder wall... also, if they are already getting to the top of the waterer, then that is an easy jump off to the edge... they will get out and they WILL poop everywhere, lol...
Putting perches in is a personal choice, some do, some don't... but at their age it is not a need...
Good luck and hope this helps!

 

[chickenchick123]

Last year my mother hen had her chicks roosting on knee hight roosting bars at 2 weeks old, so I would also advise some dowels or clean sturdy sticks just from the garden.
It's really supprising how much they could fly, seemed much more than adult chickens for size comparison!
So chicken wire the top ASAP or you will soon have escapees! We named one of ours Dora (the explorer) as she kept escaping on her own little adventures!
Just thought some pea netting or equalivent can be just as helpful. Good luck x

 

[Desert Pyrate]

Well I thought they were only a week old (we have only had them since monday and they should have been just a few days old when we got them). Looks like I will be off to the store this weekend to get something to cover that thing.

I keep seeing articles about people using a stock watering tank for a brooder. Would that be big enough for 6 chicks until I move them into the coop?