Will this work?

[Ol Grey Mare]

I guess I'm confused with everyone calling this a small cage....? It's bigger than almost every hen house I've seen and bigger than any rubbermaid container I've ever seen. It's 40x18 or something like that. That's too small? It's only slightly smaller than the troughs they keep 100 babies in at the feed store.

The troughs used in feed stores are used as very temporary housing - *most* chicks sell out before they even reach the 1 week mark. Those are not set up as long-term brooders to be used to take the chicks to the point of being able to move out of the brooder and are not a good reference point to build an argument as to what is a good setup for such. The simple fact is that animals can survive less than desirable conditions (such as inappropriate housing), but the goal as a responsible keeper should not merely be to have them survive, but to provide what they need to thrive - such as an appropriate amount of space.

 

[sdm111]

If you have the cages laying around, and the room you have them in is stable temp wise, then it likely won't need wrapping if you have a source of heat for the chicks. You won't be able to keep the chicks in there long as the space is not large enough.
I have found the large plastic tubs at Walmart work well for raising a small batch of chicks. The shavings don't escape the tub. We just fashion a chicken wire lid for it and suspend the heat lamp above it.
I have also used large cardboard boxes for chick brooders. They work well also and you just throw them away when done. A 60 to 75 watt bulb works well as a heat source for those.

This I get the big plastic totes works great for small batches and you can use the money u saved of chick accessories like waterers, vitamins, bedding feed etc.

 

[aart]

I guess I'm confused with everyone calling this a small cage....? It's bigger than almost every hen house I've seen and bigger than any rubbermaid container I've ever seen. It's 40x18 or something like that. That's too small? It's only slightly smaller than the troughs they keep 100 babies in at the feed store.

The extra large of the link you posted is about 39" x 22".....
....no where near as big as my coop (hen house), and my brooder last year was 70 x 33 for just 7 chicks.

But it's a nice cage and should work good for a few chicks.
I like that the bottom has sides and the bars are tightly spaced.

It's bigger than alot of brooders I've seen....but may get small quick depending on how many chicks you have and how you provide feed and water.
Dd you get the light set up....post pics?

 

[TOOCLOSE]

See? I knew if I started talking to you? You'd have all the specialty chicken ppl come along and help you out! Thank goodness! It's been six years since I've hatched any babies. And they had silkie momma's that lived in our house and were monitored all the time. I even used a baby play pen with newspaper on the bottom and hay strewn about it. It's amazing what we can find to use when we need it! The play pen was brand new and was found sitting on top a dumpster at the dump sight! Unbelieveable! I put it to good use for many years!

TC

 

[KYchickadee]

The troughs used in feed stores are used as very temporary housing - *most* chicks sell out before they even reach the 1 week mark. Those are not set up as long-term brooders to be used to take the chicks to the point of being able to move out of the brooder and are not a good reference point to build an argument as to what is a good setup for such. The simple fact is that animals can survive less than desirable conditions (such as inappropriate housing), but the goal as a responsible keeper should not merely be to have them survive, but to provide what they need to thrive - such as an appropriate amount of space.

Maybe I'm reading this the wrong way because it's hard to tell tone over the internet, but assuming you meant it the way I took it, I don't appreciate being told that I'm going to do what is convenient for me and cram the chicks in a cage that is too small just because I can. That really rubs me the wrong way. I'm here to learn because I honestly don't know. That's why I'm posting. That's why I'm asking questions and this is the second time I feel like instead of being told what I can do to make things right, I'm being told what I'm doing wrong. The only reference I have to go off of is from what I see in feed stores and what I read online. I figured since people were saying rubbermaid containers and I was planning on four chicks, that this cage was bigger than rubbermaid containers and therefore more suitable for that number.

By all means, tell me if I'm doing something wrong, but tell me how to correct it and don't insinuate that I don't care enough to do what's right for them. Please.

 

[KYchickadee]

@aart I haven't gotten anything purchased or set up yet. I'm still trying to figure out what I need so I make sure I get the correct thing the first time.

 

[TOOCLOSE]

Are you only housing chicks or momma and chicks? I originally thought you were trying to figure out a place to put a momma with chicks that hatched out?

TC

 

[KYchickadee]

Just chicks. These are our very first chickens.

 

[TOOCLOSE]

Okay! I see now! No chicks or momma!
Only trying to get ready for future chicks.
I must have mixed up two different Threads with yours! Sorry!

If it helps financially? I've used many a cardboard box for babies!
I would use a blacklight at night for heat and a white bulb during the day.
The blacklight gets really hot though. Be sure you don't get it too close to them.
I also took several feather dusters, tied them together and attached it just low enough
to the bottom of the box that the babies thought it was a momma hen and would crawl
underneath it.

TC

 

[MrsBachbach]

I guess I'm confused with everyone calling this a small cage....?  It's bigger than almost every hen house I've seen and bigger than any rubbermaid container I've ever seen.  It's 40x18 or something like that.  That's too small?  It's only slightly smaller than the troughs they keep 100 babies in at the feed store.

It depends on how many chicks you have and how long you plan to keep them in there. Yes, the feed stores have the same size, but, the chicks rarely are in there over a week. They get sold. As chicks grow they need more space or you can run into problems such as picking and disease. A cage that size would only be adequate for maybe five chicks to four to six weeks of age.
I have a brooder that's about ten square feet and I usually keep chicks in it until four weeks of age, but I can only keep about a dozen in there up to that age. It's just not a big enough area for growing birds. The large rubber maid totes are only used to keep chicks for sale and I usually keep no more than two dozen in those for no more than a week before they are sold.