Where do you keep your chicks prior to the coop?

[pawtraitart]

My first batch was setup in a large horse watering trough in the spare bedroom. This was GREAT because I could go in and play with them. THEN...the dust came. My goodness! I didn't know it would get that bad. It even got into the closet. Sooo....at 5 weeks they were put in the coop with a heat lamp. I put the brooder trough in a section of the coop for the following batch with a screen over the top so the older ones couldn't get in. I shoo the older ones out into the yard so I can play and socialize the little ones for a bit everyday.

 

[chickaboo7]

My babes are in a lg. plastic storage bin in the l.r. once they start to jump out I use a old window screen to keep them in went I'm not in the room. We get so used to having them around, its hard to put them out but we do. They do get to come back in to visit often

 

[dreamgirl]

I started mine in my office in the house in a big tupperware (2 1/2 x 3 1/2) b/c it was a very cold April. It was nice to have them close, but I'm still cleaning up the dust! There were 24 to statrt and after 2 weeks they ran out of room which was fine b/c I gave half away. At 3-4 weeks I moved them into a large ferret cage in the basement with a heat lamp (still cold out) which they quickly outgrew. At 5-6 weeks we built a raised brooder with a box and run and kept it in the garage for a week to acclimate them to the cold and then moved it outside into a fenced area. Since the coop still isn't done, we then attached plywood all around the base of the brooder box to give them more sleeping/shade room. If the coop was ready I would have moved them in at about 8 weeks. They escape constently--I'm gettign netting for the top today--but I let them free range when I'm home. One thing that I didn't realize when I started is how FAST they grow. They need bigger digs every week or two! Some pictures below (they are almost twice this size now and they are 11 1/2 weeks old).

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

This thread was going a little while back....it should give you tons of ideas!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6233