Rubbermaid tot

[Hawgon]

How long can I keep 7 chicks in a 106qt rubbermaid tub? Plan on getting them in spring a afraid it will be to small to quickly. We are getting silkies, ameracauna's and sex links. Thanks

 

[stoopid]

I use the 66qt (I think) and it's good for 6-10 chicks for about a week, depending on bantam, or LF.
After that, I just use 2 next to each other, and keep the heat lamp in the middle of the two.
I'm not sure of the dimensions of yours.

 

[Stephen518]

That should be big enough for a few weeks. I did the same thing with 27 chicks for 4 weeks. It is a close living situation and you have to be very careful. I changed their litter twice a day. You have to be very specific with where the food and water are located so it is not too hot nor cold. Also you must realize that with a container like that, anything that is spilt remains right at their feet, food and water. A spilled water container is a real mess and needs to be cleaned quickly.

I will be raising my next batch of chicks in a wire pen, outside with a tarp over teh top and down the sides. Each day I will simply move it a few feet and whala their bedding is basically changed. I live in Florida so the cool nights are not generally an issue.

Just watch the girls and if you see any signs of stress or excessive fighting, move them to a bigger box. Good luck.

 

[Hawgon]

Thanks, I will go with tub for now and maybe build bigger if I aquire some wood and materials after building coop. I will keep an eye on cleanliness though.

 

[branston]

You can always switch to a XL wire dog crate when they get bigger with a heat lamp of course. You can also connect two together for extra space. You can pick them up for pretty cheap on craigslist

 

[Hawgon]

Decided to make a brooder box myself from one I saw on the coops and brooders page here on the BYC website. I will try to post pics when done but figured I could use it for a green house or ? when we dont have chickes in it.....

 

[srslychickning]

Quote:
Looking forward to pics and details, I have been thinking about the same thing recently. I moved mine from a plastic container to a wire dog crate because the floor of the crate comes out easily for cleaning - but I had to wait until they were big enough that they couldn't just slip through the spaces between the cage bars, which was at about 3 weeks. I only have 2 in there right now, though.

 

[JellyBeanCee]

Quote:
Looking forward to pics and details, I have been thinking about the same thing recently. I moved mine from a plastic container to a wire dog crate because the floor of the crate comes out easily for cleaning - but I had to wait until they were big enough that they couldn't just slip through the spaces between the cage bars, which was at about 3 weeks. I only have 2 in there right now, though.

I used an XL wire dog crate, just zip tied some hardware cloth around the whole thing and zip tied cardboard inside the interior about 4-5 inches up. That kept them and their shavings inside. Worked great!

 

[srslychickning]

Quote:
Looking forward to pics and details, I have been thinking about the same thing recently. I moved mine from a plastic container to a wire dog crate because the floor of the crate comes out easily for cleaning - but I had to wait until they were big enough that they couldn't just slip through the spaces between the cage bars, which was at about 3 weeks. I only have 2 in there right now, though.

I used an XL wire dog crate, just zip tied some hardware cloth around the whole thing and zip tied cardboard inside the interior about 4-5 inches up. That kept them and their shavings inside. Worked great!

Zip-tied cardboard - you just solved a very challenging problem for me with such a simple solution. I have been setting the cage onto a sheet and tying 4 knots in the 4 corners to keep it in place. It makes it quite difficult to change the water every day but I was so tired of all the shavings going everywhere! I know what I'm doing tonight.

 

[JellyBeanCee]

Yup...easy peasy. And easily changed out if it gets dirty. Though mine never really did. The one that took the most abuse and had to be replaced a couple of times was the piece on the door.