Newly born chicks and space requirments.

[Afterburner]

I am planing on getting new chicks next month. This will be my first time raising chickens from chicks. I am not sure how many exactly, perhaps five or six. How much space do you folks recommend for that number of babies. Also, the chicken for dummies book specifically says not to use a cardboard container. Yet all of my local feed stores, included WIlco, say that a cardboard box is just fine. What is your consensus on that and what do you folks use for housing your babies. Also, I like in the Pacific Northwest, do you folks think housing them in my garage with a 150 watt red heat lamp will be warm enough for them?

Secondly, generally how much medicated chick feed will the eat until they are old enough to go on layer feed? For example, how many five pound bags will they eat through? Can I use a flock grazer at three months of age until; they start laying?

Finally, I plan on using pine shavings as a floor cover for the chicks. How often do you generally replace the bedding?

 

[UtahChickenDad]

I just went through this process. First..I did 6 chicks for 7 week in a rubbermaid tub as my brooder.
I did after a week cut a plexi glass window in the side also

I used pine shavings and they will need to be changed once a week the first 3-4 weeks then more often till ready for outside coop. Your nose will tell you how often. As for food figure on 1 pound per chick per week till you move them out side, then change to grower till first egg when you change to layer. They will waste a lot of food if you dont rasie the level of the food container as they get older. Try to keep at chest level so they cant scratch it out. As for water the same level rule applys, but you need to keep it clean. This will mean changing is several times a day, as they will scratch shavings into it. So I did not fill the waterer all the way each time only about half and they never ran out.

Hope all this helps

 

[Afterburner]

How many gallon tub is the that one in the picture?

 

[weimlikeschicks]

I could not agree more with getting a dog... or a couple of dogs. They will guard your animals better than you could yourself standing out there, and certainly better than any fence. Predators and vermin alike will quickly learn to just avoid the area all together.

 

[UtahChickenDad]

It was the largest one I could fined about 14"wide 36" long 18" high. The wire I used after cutting out the top was 1/2" hardwire cloth. Purchased everything at Lowes.




As for the dog he just think the chickens are his. He was laying in the backyard while they were out and I was working on the outdoor custom feeder, and two of them keep running up to him to get him to play. He would walk them back to the others go back and lay down only to have the same two do it again. that went on for about 30 minutes. Lots of fun to watch.

 

[BuffOrpington88]

A cardboard box would work well, just make sure that it does not get wet, because then it may get moldy.
You can see if it is hot enough with a thermometer used for incubators.
About 6 square inches per chick will be fine for about 2 weeks.
I would suspect that they would go through about 1 or 2 50 lb. bags, (they spill a lot). You can usually give them medicated feed until they start laying, around 18 weeks, but check the label.
It makes it a lot quicker if you just clean out the droppings every day, and then totally replace the shavings once a week.
Good Luck!