Week old Cornish X chicks - newbie need help

[NHchickenflock]

i was just given 150 Cornish X chicks....
This will be our first attempt with chicks (always had pullets)
How much space and how many lamps should I use?
We plan to keep them in a semi conditioned wood shed attached to our house.
Please... Any tips or tricks you guys can offer would be great!

 

[keesmom]

That is an awful lot of Cornish X! First I would suggest you have the moderators move this thread to the Meat Bird forum. Cornish X management is different, especially on that scale.

How much room do you have for these? They are going to grow extremely fast.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

When I have a lot of chicks like that I use a homemade hover brooder.

That many will somewhat keep each other warm but I'd go with 3 heat lamps.

They'll get big fast and they produce so much feces that many will be hard to keep up with. To that end, the more space you can give them the better.

 

[NHchickenflock]

I have an 8'x8' brooder area in the wood shed.

 

[keesmom]

That may keep them for a very short time but you are going to have to find a lot more room and soon. You may want to see if any feed dealers near you do bulk orders to save money on feed. Keeping up with the manure removal will be tough. You may also want to look into a way to rotate pasture for them once they feather out.

You are going to need a lot of freezer space too.

 

[NHchickenflock]

At what age can they be removed from heat so I can put them in my barn?

 

[NHchickenflock]

I was told .5 sq ft until 3-4 weeks then 1 sq ft until 5-6 weeks

 

[keesmom]

I was told .5 sq ft until 3-4 weeks then 1 sq ft until 5-6 weeks

That is for layer chicks that don't mature until 20-24 weeks old. Cornish X are ready for butchering at 7-8 weeks old.

 

[NHchickenflock]

Ok
How much space do you think?

 

[NHchickenflock]

Do they need lamps until 8 weeks?