Quick Question - New chick owner

[socalchicker1]

I'm a new chick owner - and accidentally spilled the chicks water all over their brooder paper box from the feed store. The box and wood shavings are done for. I found an old plastic bin that's about the same size - but obviously, I can't poke holes in it like they did in the box that the feed store gave us. Is that going to be a problem? If so, what can I do? I don't have any more regular boxes...

 

[Poultry parent]

is the box big enough to hold them without a lid?

 

[socalchicker1]

Yes. It's just slightly smaller than the original box. We didn't have a lid on the brooder box either though.

 

[Poultry parent]

if there isn't a lid then you shouldn't need to poke holes in the sides

 

[lazy gardener]

How big is this box, where are you keeping them, what are you using for a heat source, what is the temp in the warm area, and what is the temp at the other end away from the heat source? How many chicks, how old are they?

 

[azygous]

And, you need at minimum one square foot per chick in your brooder.

I'm speculating that you were using the cardboard carry-home carton the feed store gave you to transport the chicks. Those are not usually designed for brooding chicks.

Even better than a box to brood chicks in would be to brood them directly in your coop in a sheltered, safe chick pen, and even better than a heat lamp, would be a heating pad cave system.

 

[socalchicker1]

I am using the brooder box. I checked with the feed store owner and she said it should be fine to keep them in there the whole time until they were ready to go out into the coop.

But one has recently nearly jumped out of the bin, so I need a different solution.

I posted this question as a separation thread but maybe I will get an answer here too: I am thinking of taking our kid's play-yard-fence (looks kinda like this:http://www.toysrus.com/buy/large-opening-free-standing-gates/babies-r-us-play-yard-3926100-16055016 ) and putting the brooder box in there - with a "door" cut out of the box for the chicks to go in and out of the box as they desire. Keep the food and water in the box and the heat lamp but give them more space to explore. Is that an acceptable alternative? Or do they need to stay in that confined space?

 

[lazy gardener]

Where are you planning to set up the play yard? If I had the option, I'd put a tarp or old shower curtain down under it, and add the shavings. Rig something for a top, and dispense with the box all together. Baby chicks really do much better if they have plenty of room. That much space would allow you to give them a log to play on, perhaps make a perch for them, have the heat source in one corner (does round have a corner? You know what I mean! I like to see chicks having about 2 sq. feet/bird to carry them through 4 weeks.