when do I have to cover the brooder to prevent escape?

[DAYDRINKER]

The walls of my brooder are three feet high inside. My chicks are one week old. When/do I need to cover it to prevent their escape?

 

[suzeqf]

my older chicks are 5 & 6 weeks old and i've just now started covering the top with a screen window i had laying around their brooder sides are close the same height as yours

 

[nuttyredhead]

I have covered mine from the start, but i had other animals in the house looking to get in lol! If they are large breed chickens (not bantams) i would cover within the next 2 weeks. My original amberlinks were flying/jumping to the top of their 2 foot brooder at about 3 weeks. I have read that some have done it much sooner. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I screwed some windows to the top of mine. Here is a picture...

Sorry about the dog in some of those pictures! But anyway the top of mine is 2 storm windows so that I can just slide up the screen if I have to change their food or water. Our coop is 4 feet by 4 feet. We also put some glass in the front of ours that way we can still see the chicks.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Nice brooder.

 

[DAYDRINKER]

Thanks all. I'll get the screens out this week.

 

[Young Heritage]

I have 10 3 week olds that will jump and hit the top of my 2 foot brooder. I have another brooder with 2 6 week old pullets and 10 3 week olds and none of them jump very much.... I think it depends on the breed and the personality as to if they will be rambunctious.

 

[miraclz5]

We had a "trouble make" at 4 days old...flew to the edge of a cardboard box which was about 18" + and then at a week was moved to a brooder box that has sides 2' high and it has to be covered as she will fly up and perch on the edge. So, I think it entirely depends on individual chickens and "trouble makers" like our Tilly!

 

[mshirk]

Mine started flapping up to the top around 8 days... I knew it was coming, but not so quickly!

 

[mistymeadowchicks]

Several of my chicks were perching on the side of the brooder (32") at 10 days. And, like another poster said, my amberlinks were the troublemakers. Fortunately, they're cute enough to be forgiven! MHO, have a plan in place now--you made need it sooner than you think!