proposed brooder design

[delfargo]

i'll be ordering my 15 chicks soon. here's what i'm thinking for my brooder - i have an old dog crate, approx. 42"long x20" wide x 20" tall. i was thinking of putting a plywood bottom in it and lining the sides with some plexyglass so i can see in better (also figured the clear sides would help the chicks feel less "confined" or "boxed in") and un-attaching the wire top so i can take it on & off. does that sound like a plan? enough room for 15 chicks?
also, the heat lamp should be on 24/7 for a constant temp., right? and...one more question... should the waterer & feeder be close together or should i put the waterer at one end and the feeder at the other or does it matter (probably not?). thanx for any input you may have.

 

[delfargo]

now that i'm thinking about it, maybe i don't need the plxexiglass sides, as the brooder will be in my basement untill it gets a little warmer, then move the brooder to the coop, so there shouldnt be a "draft" issue to worry about. maybe just attach some hardware cloth or something to the sides so they can't get out? i dunno, maybe i need the sidewalls to hold the heat in? overthinking it maybe? ahhhrrrggggg...so much to think about!

 

[ozarkmomma]

I used a dog crate for my first batch of chicks, i put up cardboard walls to hold in the shavings. It worked really well. Good luck!!