[t161tanya161]

Hi everyone,
I was just after some advice really.
I have my 7 chicks (cream leg bar, buff orpington, silver laced wyandotte, all LF) in a home made brooder made from a large plastic storage box, they will be 2 weeks old on friday. Im just really worried about them because i think they are too cramped in there! they all scrabble around one another! Its also becoming disgusting, i clean them out and change all the lining of the box twice a day, but the last couple of days the kitchen towel on the floor has been totally saturated (i don't know if they are somehow trying to make a swimming pool with their drinking water!)
I would like to make a brooder out of a  rabbit hutch, so that i can put wood shavings down and make it easier to clean. If they were in a hutch, when do you think i could put them outside the back door (with heat lamps of course?) Or will i have to keep them inside until they are older?

Thanks in advance!
Tanya

[Casey76]

It is definitely too cold to keep chicks outside, even with a heat lamp.

For my larger chicks I use an indoor rabbit cage



it is about 4' long, and has enough space for chicks to run around, as well as keep the food and water separate to the heated bit.

[GrannieAnnie]

like Casey said, don't put them outside at all yet, not until they are feathered up.  Also any heat from the lamp will get wasted with this cold air.

My OH made me a lovely brooder out of an old kitchen wall cupboard and made a weldmesh top for it.  It would have lasted them longer had it been a bit higher.  I kept it in the lounge on an old sheet.

This is it in the big brooder shed.

[t161tanya161]

Thanks for the advice, i think ill go out and try and get an indoor rabbit cage! I feel guilty keeping them in the little box, as they are growing so fast!