Uh-oh, they are getting big FAST!

[slystr]

I moved the chicks to a bigger rubbermaid bin but they are going to get too big for even that pretty soon. I have 10 babies. What can I use as a bigger brooder? Or can they stay in there untill I can put them outside? Here in Texas it will be warm in the evenings soon, lows in the lower 60's at night highs in the 70's
Here is my set up

 

[kcfuerst]

I used a kids play yard because my 12 chicks outgrew the rubbermaid in the blink of an eye. It has no top and no bottom, but makes a nice adjustable sized pen. I put a tarp on the floor for a bottom, then newspaper, then shredded paper over that. Worked out great. My new girls are now 6 weeks old and they just moved into their coop this week. They really wanted to be out of the pen and on the ground to snoop around. For the top, I just used some 2x2's and some plastic fencing to keep them from flying out.

 

[4H kids and mom]

A big cardboard box will work nicely too. We took two large boxes and cut them apart and retaped them to make a really big sort of octagon shaped pen and used another box for the bottom. This has proved to be plenty big enough for our 27 chickies who are now 2 weeks old. I think they could easily stay in it for another 2-4 weeks before I have to expand it. By then, it should be warm enough to move them outside with a heat lamp at night. Also, making the pen a different shape keeps them from piling up in straight corners.

 

[mainely-chick]

Before the chicks arrived I went to the local grocery store and asked for a cardboard watermelon bin - they throw them away anyway. It is perfect size (height and depth) to accommodate my chicks thru brooder period. I put down some trash bags covered with an old sheet and filled up with pine shaving - then I layered more old sheets on top of shavings. As they soiled, I rolled them up until I got to the shavings on the third or fourth day. No worries - less mess.

 

[MTchick]

Somewhere I saw someone using a giant cardboard box- the kind for refrigerators, etc. You could try some local stores in the area that might have large appliances and see it they have a bunch out back in the trash.

We might have to resort to this, too. Our 8 chicks are rapidly outgrowing their brooder bin.

-MTchick