It’s amazing how quickly baby chicks grow and it can be a challenge to house them in a brooder that is large enough for them from week to week. I have used a number of different brooder types over the years from cardboard boxes to playpens, rabbit hutches and plastic tubs. I even used a toboggan once. Choosing the biggest brooder possible for the age of the chick is important as overcrowding causes behavioral and health problems that are easier to avoid than to remedy. Many, creative options can work for a brooder- the set-up is limited only by the imagination. Having brooded countless batches of baby chicks, my strong preference is the cardboard box.