Where do you keep your chicks?

[From the North]

Do you have a room set up in your house for this? Garage? Barn?

We are looking to get our first chicks this spring and I'm trying to get a plan together. In the house, we have two housecats and a dog; I could put the chicks in the barn but I'm a little leery about leaving a heat lamp on in the barn unattended. That and we have a barn cat, as well.

 

[sebby]

I kept moving me in a garage and it worked fine.

 

[donrae]

No more chicks in the house!

We brood in the barn. I use a big galvanized steel trough and we have some expanded metal we put on top to keep chicks in and cats out. I can run the lamp just inside the metal for younger or not as many chicks, then I rest it on the metal when they're older and don't need as much heat. I use the big red bulbs where the cover/shield has a wire guard on it, so the bulb's not on the metal directly. Seems like there's a name for them but I can't think of it!

 

[SarahBee]

I think I'm going to be putting ours in the basement. We also have a cat (he comes and goes inside and out as he pleases) and he's a hunter, always leaving us a dead bird or chipmunk on the doorstep. I'm very worried about keeping him away from my chicks

 

[CarioFarms]

We don't have cats or dogs, just three elementary school age kids, so ours live in a big brooder box in our dining room and will do so until they are around six weeks old and we can move them to the coop.

 

[Jakoda]

well I have 4 indoor cats , 2 aussies and a german shepherd,, My 9 were in the house,,I had a huge critter cage, and actually the cats and dogs didn't even bother with them.

When they were 5 mths old, storm sandy wrecked their coop so I had them again, in the house for 4 days, this time I had to throw a tarp on my dining room floor, use an xpen with a huge dog crate, everyone got along just fine, altho at 5 months, they were a tad messier than when they were babies !!
Diane

 

[theoldchick]

Mine started in the house-no other pets so they were fine



Then they graduated to the Cardboard Corral in the garage. Growing chicks produce A LOT of dander. They stayed inside until 5-6 weeks of age.



When the weather grew warm they graduated to the coop. I used the gogo pen to keep them protected from the older birds.

 

[AmpersatChick]

Hmmm, seeing theoldchick's flock graduate out of the metal tub before going to the coop is making me think my plans of keeping 11 chicks in the laundry room, in a tupperware container until they move outside is a rookie mistake...guess I better make a plan B for them getting big!

 

[Ridgerunner]

My brooder is in the coop. I built it permanently under the roosts so the top is a droppings board. It’s got a good draft guard and good ventilation. Here’s a photo.

You are right to be concerned with the fire danger, whether in the barn or in your house. If you use a heat lamp, throw that clamp away so you are not tempted to use it and use wire to hang the lamp so it can’t fall even if something hits it or tries to climb on it.

I keep one end heated and let the rest cool off as it will. A broody hen does not heat up the entire world for her chicks. She just provides a warm place for them to go when they need to warm up. I do much the same. The far end of this brooder can cool off a whole lot in the cooler months. Many people would be surprised at how much time the chicks spend in the cooler section. I think mine feather out much faster by playing in the cooler area. And I don’t have to worry about keeping the brooder a perfect temperature. Keep one area warm and let the rest cool off. They can find their own comfort zone.

 

[LovePolish2]

We keep ours in a brooder box we built that is in one of our out buildings,works great,and the chicks stay warm and safe till they are old enough to be moved out to the run,then they stay there till they are big enough to be out free ranging with the other chickens.