Newbie question about baby chicks and space

Hi, this is my first time raising chicks. I have four 5 day old chicks and three 2 day old chicks. I've checked for poopy butt (no problems there) and I have them in a bin with a thin layer of hay down. I put their water basin up about an inch on blocks in the hopes it would prevent them pooping in it so much. I can't put their feeder up higher or else I'm afraid the little ones won't be able to reach it, but they do poop in their feed. I have tried picking out the poop but is there more I should do or is this just the way chickens are? I don't want them to get sick. I change the hay every few days.

I have the Storey book on raising chickens. She says a couple of things that concern me. One is that feather picking is a problem and can be caused by 24 hr lights and overcrowding. We have a red light and it is on 24 hours because I thought they needed that warmth round the clock. Are they supposed to be in the dark some portion of the day/night? There are definitely some chicks that pick at their feathers. Also, about overcrowding - I don't know how much space they need. Right now I have seven chicks, all under a week old, in a bin that measures 17 in x 28 in. At the rate they are growing, I imagine they will need new accomodations very soon. I have them in the kitchen with me, which is a small space. Not sure how much larger their next "home" should be. Can someone give me some advice on that? Also, how old before they can go out into the coop? There are a couple of cats roaming around the farm and I want to make sure the chicks are big enough that the cats won't attack them.

Thanks!

Hello and Welcome.. Several issues there.. As chicks grow they do need more space in the beginning 7 can be pretty comfortable in a tote of sorts. never a smooth surface .. ( Causes problems with there legs developing ) Keep a thermometer handy to keep testing the heat .. it needs to go down or light higher up every week by about 5 degrees. Its almost impossible in a confined area to stop them from pooping in their water or food .. just don't over feed so you can change it often.. keep the water changed daily .. And make sure they have it available 24-7 Chicks can go out when the weather out side permits depending on your climate.. If you live in a warm area where it doesn't drop real cold at night .. then sooner .. As a rule you want them to have feathers up on their head .. If they are fighting a lot and pecking you might need a bigger space. but i have had 20 in a tote for the first week or so .. Lastly a Chicken is never safe from an aggressive Cat .. they will try to protect them selves but might lose the fight .. I would try very hard to keep the two apart. Some cats don't bother with the larger chickens.. there is always some predator to be concerned about .. I have to clean my indoor bins daily change food and water daily .. I hope this answers some of your questions.. THESE ARE MY OPINIONS .. I try not to say any thing as pure Fact as I believe their is more than one way to Fry an Egg and more than one way to raise a chicken ~ Corinne

Corinne, thank you so much. Okay, I'm thinking, if they need to be inside for the first 6 weeks, WHERE and WHAT are they going to live in? Because I imagine they will get pretty sizeable in a few weeks. So what do people put their young chickens in during this period of time? I suppose I could move them down to the barn in a little play yard since they will have their light for warmth. The temp here in the PNW is around 40 deg at night and upwards of 55 during the day.

Crittermommy said:

Corinne, thank you so much. Okay, I'm thinking, if they need to be inside for the first 6 weeks, WHERE and WHAT are they going to live in? Because I imagine they will get pretty sizeable in a few weeks. So what do people put their young chickens in during this period of time?  I suppose I could move them down to the barn in a little play yard since they will have their light for warmth. The temp here in the PNW is around 40 deg at night and upwards of 55 during the day.

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They can live in the barn in a pen as long as they have sufficient heat.
However I've known some people to use things like furniture/refrigerator boxes to put their chicks in, filled with bedding. That works equally as well!

Our chickens were cat-proof from about two months of age (we have some pretty violent neighbourhood cats ) but they can go outside from 4-5 weeks if they are penned in securely.

Our experience was that after about 3 weeks I needed them out of my living space, too much dust (26 chicks). We moved ours to a larger brooder in the garage, we kept expanding that until we finished the coop. We moved them outside at 8 weeks, would have done it sooner but we were still constructing the coop.
I found that all the information as we went along here on BYC was awesome. I went with our "gut" and knew when we needed to modify their living arrangements, including heat, larger water containers, larger feed containers.

Alot of people will tell you listen to the chicks they will tell you! HOW RIGHT THEY ARE!

Enjoy the little ones they grow up so fast...

A large cardboard box, that an appliance comes in, would be of great benefit. Chicks need a lot of room at 4 weeks and by 6 weeks, they need their coop, run and lots of space. They are fast growers, going from hatch to laying eggs in a quick as 17 weeks. That is fast growth and development.

Thank you everybody! What a great support this site is. My husband has some large cardboard pieces and we are going to put them on the floor in our utility room and set a baby fence (closed into a square or rectangle) on top of it, throw down some hay, and let them have all that space. Thanks for all the great tips. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions soon! I will sure miss the cheep-cheeps as I cook dinner and clean in the kitchen. They've been keeping me company.

Crittermommy said:

Thank you everybody!  What a great support this site is.  My husband has some large cardboard pieces and we are going to put them on the floor in our utility room and set a baby fence (closed into a square or rectangle) on top of it, throw down some hay, and let them have all that space. Thanks for all the great tips. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions soon! I will sure miss the cheep-cheeps as I cook dinner and clean in the kitchen. They've been keeping me company.   

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Sounds like a plan!
Yeah, when our chickens moved outside things suddenly seemed very quiet in the house. I used to listen to them cheeping at night when everything else was silent.