Brooder Box

[firsttimechic]

I am purchasing 23 chics, how big does the brooder box need to be?

 

[Odelia]

How big it needs to be depends on how long you plan on keeping them in it. When they are feathered at about 6 weeks of age do you have somewhere outside to move them to?

 

[Odelia]

Also what size breed/breeds? Are you getting bantams, standards, or large dual purpose breeds?

 

[firsttimechic]

Yes, they will have a coop to roost in at night with nesting boxes, as well as a large fenced in run to be in during the day

 

[firsttimechic]

I will have Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpington's and a few Maran's.

 

[Odelia]

Yes, they will have a coop to roost in at night with nesting boxes, as well as a large fenced in run to be in during the day

Yes, but do you have full grown birds already living in the coop. Your chicks at 6 weeks old are usually fully feathered so that they can keep themselves warm at night (except in the dead of winter.) They are not large enough at that age to be integrated with full grown birds. They are too small to protect themselves. If you want to put them in the coop and you do have full grown birds you have to make a sort of brooder in your coop for them. They don't need heat, but they do need to be fenced so the larger birds can not get to them with there own food and water. Otherwise you need to raise them until they are about 2/3 of their full grown size before putting them in with adult birds.

 

[firsttimechic]

I do not currently have any other chickens in the coop, so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Odelia]

Now if you are going to build a brooder I would go with 4x4 to 4x6 for this number of chicks. I personally often use cardboard boxes and large plastic totes for brooders. I have a large tote that I will put the day old chicks into and when they grow too large for it I will move them to a large cardboard box for a few weeks until they are ready to go outside. When they are little they don't need much space. My tote is about 1.5 X 3.5 feet. It works well for 25 day old chicks. I would move them up to a larger brooder at about 2 weeks. It is also good to have roosts for them when they are a few weeks old. You don't have to, but they do really like roosting once they are old enough to get up to them. Hope that helps.