brooders...

[MsPony]

Last year I had the perfect brooder for 6 chicks, but we threw it out and this year I only ordered 2 chicks.

Hubby wants to put them in a medium sized dog crate (fits the 35# cattle dog) and put a big reptile UTH that was for a red tailed boa (which are 8' long, so big.) But they are going to outgrow it and said crate isn't very open, its very dark.

So what kind of brooders can I do for two little chicks? Just a box with high sides? My original 4 hens 7 years ago were brooded in a guinea pig cage and slept there until they passed away, the one remaining still sleeps there at night in the house. But I don't have one of those.

 

[MsPony]

Oh and it doesn't get cold where I'm at (besides they are in the house), it will start getting into the 70s/80s soon enough. They will start going outside pretty soon during the day

 

[glenolam]

You could use almost anything - cardboard box, laundry basket, shoe box, and stick chicken netting or something like that over the top so they don't hop out.

Of course, you'll need to increase the shoe box size as they get bigger.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Plastic storage totes are great for brooding only a few chicks!

 

[Marianne]

Plastic storage totes are great for brooding only a few chicks!

Yep, they are! I have a long one that I use for my 8 chicks. I only kept them in there for one week, now they're in a huge, heavy cardboard box in the shop. I used hardware cloth for a top, just bent the sides down to help hold it on.

 

[MsPony]

Good idea! I got in a rescue snake that was kept in a tub, he's moved so ill bleach it and put them in there

Opinions on the under the tank heater for heat as opposed to a light?

 

[pinkfox]

i raised our girls in a big cardboard box for the first few weeks, then in a puppy playpen untill the coop was finnished.

 

[Marianne]

I don't know anything about the heater, but I just use a 100 watt bulb in one of those metal reflector thingies. It kept them warm enough.

Somewhere else on here, someone mentioned using one of those emergency blankets to help hold heat. I still haven't found out if they were using it as a cover, around it or what, but it sounds interesting.

 

[Kala]

Yea I stole the emergency blanket idea from someone else! lol. I have pics of our setup in my journal. Not pretty but it works and keeps em warm!! We have 5 in a traveling dog crate with plastic sides and a cage door with a bulb and metal round thingy (whatever they're called) hooked to it. We just draped two emergency blankets over the top and are going to remove one then the other when we need to decrease the temp over time. Keeps it nice and toasty inside!

 

[Marianne]

Yea I stole the emergency blanket idea from someone else! lol. I have pics of our setup in my journal. Not pretty but it works and keeps em warm!! We have 5 in a traveling dog crate with plastic sides and a cage door with a bulb and metal round thingy (whatever they're called) hooked to it. We just draped two emergency blankets over the top and are going to remove one then the other when we need to decrease the temp over time. Keeps it nice and toasty inside!

Perfect timing! We're supposed to have a cold snap real soon and I was getting kind of antsy about the chicks being outside....I have a 250 watt heat lamp on them now, but it's a really big box that they're in.