I have 5 Bard Rocks 3 weeks old and am using a large wire dog crate as the brooder. I put 6 inches of cardboard wall up all around it to keep the chicks in. I didn't think of the dog getting in. Well one of the chicks, Col Sanders, stuck her little head out of the crate and the dog found an opportunity and drug the chick out of the crate. Oops. Needless to say the chick has gone to the barnyard in the sky, and my 7 year old daughter learned about life and death first hand. Poor girl cried her eyes out. Well lesson learned. Put more cardboard up. Good news is the coop is finally complete, just have to finish the run. My question is, is it OK to keep the chicks in the coop without letting them out? I don't see the problem but my DW thinks its mean to leave them by themselves, silly city slicker. The run should be done next weekend as soon as I get some fill dirt and set the posts.
