too many chicks for brooder?

[drunkdog]

ok so we have our 12 2week olds in a 2' by 3' metal dog crate. It worked for the first week but I am thinking it is too small for them as they grow, now I have another one that matches but I am not sure if seperating them into two side by side crates like that will cause problems when I move them to the adult coop. they will be adjacent in the shed and able to see each other but not neccessarily interact and they get short visits to the adult coop theyll be in but it is not done complete and predator proof so every night must be in the shed still.

 

[NevadaRon]

Storey's recommends 0.8-1.0 sq. ft. per bird for 0-10 weeks, so I'd say you have about half the square footage you need. But then, I'm a newbie so...

 

[Kittymomma]

Could you just ask around at your local grocery stores and see if you can get one of the big cardboard totes they use for melons etc. ? They work really well, especially if you put extra broken down boxes on the bottom that you can change out if the water gets spilled or something.

 

[tammyd57]

Is there any way to connect the 2 dog crates together? Maybe take the doors off and zip tie them together? Not knowing what the dog crates actually look like makes it difficult for me to figure out a way to do it. But if you can, it would double their space and they would still all be together.

 

[redfox]

If you are leaving your birds in the house or a safe place I would just go somewhere where they have boxes or free or buy some for cheap and just cut out a hole in between them, so they can interact with each other and it acts as one big cage. I've done it before and it works great, just don't forget the pine shavings.

 

[drunkdog]

Id really hate to cut the sides off the dog crates it would ruin them for any other purpose....I may have to either temp a wall in the half of the coop that is done...I visualize the big boxes but dont see a way to secure them well enough for my liking.... any other suggestions?

 

[mk4lh]

If you have an appliance store nearby, the refrigerator box makes an excellent brooder. Lay it on the side, cut an access lid that's what I used for my first batch of BR chicks. I had 24 in there for 4 weeks and they had plenty of room. I also placed a piece of 2x4 under the waterer and that seemed to cut down on the amount of water that was splashed out. I hope this helps you.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

use the 2 crates side by side, if you are worried about incorporating the chicks later, switch them around every other day, add a few to each crate and remove and add the others to the other crate so that they all know each other!?

 

[drunkdog]

thank you everyone...I simply finished the exterior of the coop and turned them loose with two heatlamps to keep the heat up