Hot chicks!

[Princess Pine]

That was the old one for 2 almost 2 weeks. They will be 2 Thursday

 

[Princess Pine]

This is the new one. Quite a bit bigger but I have much bigger ones for large dogs.

 

[Stephine]

I understand. This is not about the heat issue, it seems like you solved that. What I am saying is that your new set up looks tight already. And they will about double in size over the next week! I might look around for what the recommended square footage is per chick in the brooder.
You can not go by how you see them in feed stores, that is less than ideal.

 

[Stephine]

Ok, I looked around a bit. Chicks at 2 weeks should have about 1 sq foot per chick, then for 3-4 week olds you'll need 2 sq feet per bird. Plan on going big, especially if you need to keep them inside for a while. The dog crate will be too small. Sorry for being the bearer of bad news but avoiding overcrowding will save you a lot of potential troubles!

 

[Princess Pine]

Thank you Stephanie again like I said I am new to this chick and Mommy thing. I do have a giant dog kennel that was for my Greyhound which I'm sure they will be very happy and until they move outside period but it's still chilly here in New England. But I think I figured out what was the deal with the heat. That they red heat lamp even though it was only 125 and I had it high up over the cage I think it was heating up the whole entire cage and even though it was only 80 it was 80 in the whole cage! I just went out and check them the cage is 80 I move the thermometer back where it is supposed to be like it was in the other cage by the Light. Everybody is happy including Mommy.

 

[Princess Pine]

Please excuse my spelling and grammar. I used the microphone and didn't preview fist. Whoops!

 

[Princess Pine]

Wow! They don't tell you this at flemmings where I got them. They say they will be fine for a couple months inside. Ugh. This gets harder everyday. I have a small plant farm here that I am trying to run and life is getting a little crazy. We'll make it work. I love these girls. Thanks for all your help Stephanie.

 

[junebuggena]

Get that coop built ASAP. Chicks double in size every week, and their space needs double with them. They look like they are feathered in to the point where they don't really need added heat inside a house. And I agree that your new cage is too small for 12 2-week-olds.

 

[Stephine]

Wow! They don't tell you this at flemmings where I got them. They say they will be fine for a couple months inside. Ugh. This gets harder everyday. I have a small plant farm here that I am trying to run and life is getting a little crazy. We'll make it work. I love these girls. Thanks for all your help Stephanie.

They *will* be fine for a while inside, but they will need lots of space!

I had mine inside for ahem, 12 weeks, (the coop took waaaayyyyyy longer to build than planned

) and their brooder was 4'x10' by the end and that was getting small!
Here they are at 6 weeks old...

 

[Princess Pine]

The thing is I have 4 cats and four rabbits along with some fish and now 12 chickens. I used to have Greyhounds but right now I am dogless. So everything has to have a lot of thought put into it. I have a huge basement where I bring the bunnies in the winter but I also have the cats and I don't want them around the chickens. The weather is supposed to warm up incredibly this week and I think it's going to stay that way once and for all here in New England. I can have them outside in the giant dog cage and also in the yard with a fence around it while I'm working at my Plant Farm. But they will have to go into the big cage at night and I will put them in the greenhouse to keep them safe. I may just buy a starter Chicken Coop from Tractor Supply until my husband has a chance to make the coop. He is a contractor and a builder and has his own business but he is also a part-time EMT and fireman and works a full-time job at the utility department. He's head of this that and the other thing and I don't know how many boards he is on! LOL I just wish I was more handy when it came to a hammer and nails. I'm a horticulturist/ designer so as soon as the coop is built I will create them a paradise LOL!