What "stage 2" cage do you use before the chicken coop?

[Blooie]

However, you can see the heat plate in one pic and it is covered with “press n seal” Cling wrap. The chicks do pick at it a little bit, but mostly leave it alone.

Press ‘n Seal or Cling Wrap? They aren’t quite the same....

 

[Acre4Me]

Press ‘n Seal or Cling Wrap? They aren’t quite the same....

Glad makes both “Press n Seal” and “Cling Wrap” and I have both in my cabinet (and both come in bright yellow boxes), which is why I inadvertently put the two terms together. What is on my plate heater is “Press n Seal”.

 

[Blooie]

I kinda thought so, but wanted to clarify in case someone reading this later on thinks about using Cling Wrap instead of Press ‘n’ Seal. I use P&S on Mama Heating Pad. Once I was giving my disabled granddaughter chocolate pudding. Her bib was in the wash so I stuck P&S to the front of her shirt. Worked like a charm! I figured if it could keep a heating pad clean, it would work on a 5 year old too!

 

[Beer can]

Here is a pic. I agree don’t use a heat lamp. (Do as I say not as I do.). We have hardware cloth we place on top.

Yes it was free but I like the wood box above. View attachment 1305751

That's a great idea! Thanks!
I usually put up a four by eight with plywood in my garage and deal with the mess on the concrete later. I think I'll see about getting one of those boxes this time.
And I've been using a (heat lamp) also for a couple decades

 

[Acre4Me]

I kinda thought so, but wanted to clarify in case someone reading this later on thinks about using Cling Wrap instead of Press ‘n’ Seal. I use P&S on Mama Heating Pad. Once I was giving my disabled granddaughter chocolate pudding. Her bib was in the wash so I stuck P&S to the front of her shirt. Worked like a charm! I figured if it could keep a heating pad clean, it would work on a 5 year old too!

I think I got the idea to use press n seal on top of the heat plate either from your MHP thread, or may have seen someone mention it’s use on a plate heater because they didn’t want to buy the domed lid for the heater to keep chicks off. Either way, I know I got the idea here on BYC!

 

[Joeschooks]

My 12 chicks are quickly outgrowing their current cage. They are 2 1/2 weeks old. Our chicken coop isn't built yet and they need a bigger space. What did you use? What is a guideline for how much room they need? When can I put them outside?

I use two sheets of 8x4ft Proplex (floor protection that they use on building sites). I fold it in half lengthways and hold together with bulldog clips. There’s no corners for them to get squashed in, it can be wiped, disinfected and reused and it’s cheap to buy. So great all round!

In terms of space, here are the requirements:

I hope this helps

 

[lazy gardener]

The above space recommendations are for factory farm style housing, not for back yard flocks.

Recommended spacing is for 2 s.f. per chick by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. I brood in my grow out coop with MHP style. When I've had babies in NICU, I brood them with MHP in the garage in appliance boxes which are zip tied together.

 

[ForTheLoveOfFarming]

The above space recommendations are for factory farm style housing, not for back yard flocks.

Recommended spacing is for 2 s.f. per chick by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. I brood in my grow out coop with MHP style. When I've had babies in NICU, I brood them with MHP in the garage in appliance boxes which are zip tied together.

Do you have any pics you could share?

 

[Keeperoflock]

My 12 chicks are quickly outgrowing their current cage. They are 2 1/2 weeks old. Our chicken coop isn't built yet and they need a bigger space. What did you use? What is a guideline for how much room they need? When can I put them outside?

I can't get you a picture so I'll try to describe it as best I can. I have 17 2 1/2 week olds. I moved them from a large Rubbermaid trough to something that has worked wonders.
We have a large metal storage cabinet. Took the doors off and the shelves out. Turned in on its back. It's not too deep for me because he put it up on 2 cinder blocks turned sideways (on all four corners and 2 in the middle). Perfect height. The nice thing is that I took one of the shelves and put it back in and can move it down allowing more room as they grow. The side that's not being used I store my supplies in. For coverage, we used a netting used for covering grapes to keep birds off.
NOTE: One challenge to this set-up is that the metal is slick for them to run around on while I'm changing their bedding. I don't want to use cardboard cause, well, it's cardboard and too absorbent and will be smelly so I just take my time and move slowly around them.
I love this setup. It really works for me.

 

[ForTheLoveOfFarming]

The above space recommendations are for factory farm style housing, not for back yard flocks.

Recommended spacing is for 2 s.f. per chick by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. I brood in my grow out coop with MHP style. When I've had babies in NICU, I brood them with MHP in the garage in appliance boxes which are zip tied together.

What is MHP?
On another note, what part of ME do you live in? I used to live in Bangor, Charleston, and Kenduskeag! My Dad still lives in Bangor and my sis in Holden.