Coopers Flock

If you’re reading this, you are thinking about getting chicks! Oh how can they be resisted…those adorable little fluffy butts and sweet faces. Or you’re like me, and just got chicks and now you don’t know what to do with them!
Take a breath. It will all work out. Chicks can live in just about anything as long as they have their needs met. When it comes to the brooder box, it really just needs to keep the chicks contained and have enough space that they can get away from the heat lamp in they need too. Boxes, containers, dog kennels and even pack n plays work. We used quite a few things and will go over some pros and cons.

Plastic Bins.
They work pretty good but be warned, chicks grow fast. They need space to move about and to get away from heat. We have started in plastic bins and moved them to larger things after a few weeks. Recently, I made a double bin brooder for my sisters kindergarten class. It’s working great! I’ll post a link on how to make it HERE. What I really love about our use of plastic bins is that the kids seem to spend more time talking to the chicks and bonding with them. This is because its easier to have in the house or to move around so they can be near them more often.

Pros: cheap, easy to find, comes with lids, easy to clean and store for later use.

Cons: Chicks grow out of them within a few weeks, while it comes with lids, they need to be modified for air.

Kiddie Pools.

This is something we tried to do and I don’t know if we will ever do it again for chicks. We needed something bigger after the chicks were growing out of the plastic bin. It was something we had laying around and it seemed ideal at the time. It had lots of space! The issue is that we didn’t have any idea for a top or any idea how to keep them in. We ended up putting green garden fencing around the pool which worked for a little while, but they soon would just perch on the top and end up out and unable to get back in. If they were in a place were they could be safe going in and out of the pool, it would have been great!

Pros: great floor space for the chicks, cheap, easy to set up and clean.

Cons: Not deep enough for a top, difficult to contain chicks.

Wood brooder.

So far I think this is my favorite brooder. This will be my second year using it. Once I got frustrated with the kiddie pool, I looked around for scrap wood and build a more permanent brooder. It works pretty great, but it is heavy. I had a heck of a time moving it to it’s forever spot in our back garage. That being said, it only took about 3 hours to build and keeps the chicks in. I do need to add a top this spring to keep the bigger hens from going in and harassing the little ones. I measured out a partition just in case I need to separate the chicks.

Pros: Can be built to the size you want, can use scrap wood, should be long lasting, easy to clean

Cons: can be heavy and difficult to move, needed tools and hardware

Mini run.

This one is bought from Farm and Fleet and I have seen them online and at other stores as well. I actually really like this and get so much use out of it! It definitely works for a brooder and can be put to use for other things too. It has two doors that open, one on an end and one on a side, and also part of the top can flip up. We have put this in the yard to give the chicks outside time before they could go out for good, used it to extend a small run on our backup coop, used it for giving our rabbits some pasture time and even just containing small animals for a short period of time when needed.

Pros: Lightweight, good size, has lasted for 3 years being inside and outside.

Cons: It did cost around $150 to purchase, one end was open so we had to add hardware cloth, not predator proof for a permanent enclosure.

So, go get yourself some chicks! Don’t stress about what they will go in, there are so many options. DO think outside of the box! They really just need to be enclosed with walls and kept safe.