Our four chicks have been in a cat carrier cage for the first 10 days of their lives. They grow like crazy and it was soon time to move them to a bigger home.
I made up a 1500 x 900 x 600mm (5′ x 3′ x 2′) frame out of some 50 x 50mm (2″ x 2″) timber and covered the sides and top in chicken mesh. We placed it in our basement on a cardboard and plastic floor (cardboard for insulation).
The chicks seem happy in there, but seem to do an excellent job flicking wood shavings everywhere (including into their drinker).
In a couple of weeks we’ll start letting them outside (in a cage) during the day.