Erm, how much brooder room for... 66 chicks?

[familypendragon]

I am hatching for the very first time and assuming that of 41 eggs I will be lucky to get 20 chicks. BUT I also have 25 more coming in the mail. So.... WHAT IF all 41 or thereabouts hatched. How big a space do I need for 66 chicks??? I have 2' x 3' plastic bin I'd planned on using the first few days and then moving them to a grow out area that will be inside the regular coop area in a 6' x 6' x 5' enclosure. Its around 95 degrees here most days so figuring that won't be a big deal...?

25 shipped chicks are due by August 1
24 hatching eggs are due to begin hatching August 4
17 hatching eggs are due to begin hatching August 7

If I just give each batch @ 3 days inside in the plastic bin brooder and then move them outside to the enclosure do you think that will be OK. I normally put my week old chicks (that I've bought from a breeder friend) in my juvenile coop anyway. But I think this is to many to put into the same 4' x 8' x 4' coop that also houses 10 chicks that are 3 - 8 weeks old and 8 - 12 teens that are about 12 weeks old. Or would that be OK???

I am such a newb, LOL! But I am nothing if not enthusiastic!

ETA: The juvenile coop also has a 12' x 50' run that they spend the day in. So they aren't actually IN the coop all the time. And the coop and the enclosed area I am planning are all under a carport as well.

 

[sumi]

It's a good thing you are enthusiastic, you are going to have your hands full! LOL Here's the recommended brooder space requirements for chicks of different ages:


Up to 2 weeks: 0.5 sq ft per chick
2-4 weeks: 1 sq ft per chick
4-8 weeks: 2.5 sq ft per chick
over 8 weeks: 4 sq ft per chick

I know that is going to work out to quite a large space that may not be possible for you, but use this as a guide and try and give them as much space is you can. Chicks up to 1 week of age should be kept at a temperature of 90-95*F, though I have kept new chicks at slightly lower temps and they were fine.

Mixing chicks of different ages can work, but I wouldn't put new chicks in with ones older than 3-4 weeks. The bigger chicks can easily hurt the smaller ones unintentionally, especially in such limited space. Rather put the new chicks in their own coop/run set-up.

Best of luck with your hatch!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t know where you are in Texas but in early August heat could be a really big deal. Be very careful not to cook them. Heat is really dangerous. If this summer is anything like our last two, you can easily have temperatures well over 100 for a daily high. But don’t just take the high for the day into account. Your overnight low is fairly important too when they are very young. That’s where your location in Texas is important. If you are at elevation, your nights might cool off a bit.

It is highly unlikely you’ll need to provide any heat for very long, but that depends on your actual temperatures and what your brooder is like. You need to watch the chicks and let them tell you what they need. Last summer in our heat, I turned the daytime heat off the chicks at two days and the nighttime heat off at 5 days. The chicks were crowding the edges of my brooder, which is a 3’ x 6’ in the coop. They were too hot, even at night. My brooder is in my coop. They are there as soon as I take them out of the incubator.

When chicks are cold, they will crowd together under any heat. They will also give a plaintive peep, telling you that they are not happy at all. If you’ve ever heard that plaintive peep, it’s real clear something is wrong. It’s a really sad sound, constantly repeated.

Even in cooler weather, still summer and warm but not in the 100’s, I’ve seen a broody take her chicks to the roosts at two weeks. A couple of the chicks did not make it all the way to the roosts but slept on a 2x4 brace on the side of the coop with no additional heat. Even if they had made it to the roost, there was not room under her for all of them. Those chicks were fine. Overnight lows were in the mid-70's.

That 90 to 95 the first week and drop it 5 degrees a week are general guidelines that will keep most people out of trouble under most conditions, even those with lousy drafty brooders. They are more than most chicks actually need. I don’t use a thermometer anymore. I watch the chicks and let them tell me what to do.

Don’t forget about your other chickens in the coop. Are you cooking them by providing heat in the grow-out area?

What I understand is that you plan to keep the chicks in a brooder in the house for the first few days, then move them to the grow-out pen in the coop. That sounds pretty good. By 3 days they should be really mobile. You’ll have a lot of chicks. They will help keep each other warm. Make sure you have really good ventilation, especially at the top of that pen.

What I suggest is that if you decide you need to provide heat, consider what time of day and night you actually need heat, and just heat one area of the pen. Let the rest cool down as much as it will. Give them as much room as possible to get away from the heat if they want to. Don’t be afraid to try low amounts of heat. Too much heat is probably going to be more dangerous to you than too little.

I don’t know what your overnight lows will be so it’s hard to say, but I doubt you’ll need to provide overnight heat much past two weeks, if that. It depends on your unique situation and conditions. I’ve had a broody hen wean her chicks at three weeks with the overnight lows in the70’s. Those chicks were on their own day and night and were fine. They just nestled together in a corner of the coop on the floor in the bedding and kept each other warm.

In cooler damper times of the year, providing heat is much more important than this time of year in your climate. That’s a lot of chicks. They will generate a lot of heat on their own. If they have good bedding they can snuggle down in at night, they really can take a lot cooler temperatures than those general guidelines suggest. Be flexible and watch your chicks. They will tell you what they need.

Good luck!

 

[familypendragon]

I don’t know where you are in Texas but in early August heat could be a really big deal. Be very careful not to cook them. Heat is really dangerous. If this summer is anything like our last two, you can easily have temperatures well over 100 for a daily high. But don’t just take the high for the day into account. Your overnight low is fairly important too when they are very young. That’s where your location in Texas is important. If you are at elevation, your nights might cool off a bit.

It is highly unlikely you’ll need to provide any heat for very long, but that depends on your actual temperatures and what your brooder is like. You need to watch the chicks and let them tell you what they need. Last summer in our heat, I turned the daytime heat off the chicks at two days and the nighttime heat off at 5 days. The chicks were crowding the edges of my brooder, which is a 3’ x 6’ in the coop. They were too hot, even at night. My brooder is in my coop. They are there as soon as I take them out of the incubator.

When chicks are cold, they will crowd together under any heat. They will also give a plaintive peep, telling you that they are not happy at all. If you’ve ever heard that plaintive peep, it’s real clear something is wrong. It’s a really sad sound, constantly repeated.

Even in cooler weather, still summer and warm but not in the 100’s, I’ve seen a broody take her chicks to the roosts at two weeks. A couple of the chicks did not make it all the way to the roosts but slept on a 2x4 brace on the side of the coop with no additional heat. Even if they had made it to the roost, there was not room under her for all of them. Those chicks were fine. Overnight lows were in the mid-70's.

That 90 to 95 the first week and drop it 5 degrees a week are general guidelines that will keep most people out of trouble under most conditions, even those with lousy drafty brooders. They are more than most chicks actually need. I don’t use a thermometer anymore. I watch the chicks and let them tell me what to do.

Don’t forget about your other chickens in the coop. Are you cooking them by providing heat in the grow-out area?

What I understand is that you plan to keep the chicks in a brooder in the house for the first few days, then move them to the grow-out pen in the coop. That sounds pretty good. By 3 days they should be really mobile. You’ll have a lot of chicks. They will help keep each other warm. Make sure you have really good ventilation, especially at the top of that pen.

What I suggest is that if you decide you need to provide heat, consider what time of day and night you actually need heat, and just heat one area of the pen. Let the rest cool down as much as it will. Give them as much room as possible to get away from the heat if they want to. Don’t be afraid to try low amounts of heat. Too much heat is probably going to be more dangerous to you than too little.

I don’t know what your overnight lows will be so it’s hard to say, but I doubt you’ll need to provide overnight heat much past two weeks, if that. It depends on your unique situation and conditions. I’ve had a broody hen wean her chicks at three weeks with the overnight lows in the70’s. Those chicks were on their own day and night and were fine. They just nestled together in a corner of the coop on the floor in the bedding and kept each other warm.

In cooler damper times of the year, providing heat is much more important than this time of year in your climate. That’s a lot of chicks. They will generate a lot of heat on their own. If they have good bedding they can snuggle down in at night, they really can take a lot cooler temperatures than those general guidelines suggest. Be flexible and watch your chicks. They will tell you what they need.

Good luck!

Thank you so much - that was incredibly detailed and very helpful! I will be working on the grow out area today probably and will post a pic when I am done

 

[familypendragon]

I got the area set up outside this morning and the Cream Legbar chicks and Blue Isbar chicks have been taking turns playing in it. I used a large baby gate turned on its side as a door that I can lift from the bottom and then bungee shut. I think I should only need to use this for a couple weeks or so. I still need to add all the bedding etc. If needed the Heat Lamp can be hung as high or low as needed in the back left corner. Oh and we are in the DFW area of North Texas.