What do I do with these chicks?

So I have 6 chicks - 2 Welsummers, 2 Wyandottes and 2 Orpingtons in a Rubbermaid container with no lid. The 2 Wyandottes keep jumping out and are charging everyone or jumping on top of the others or each other. I'm wondering if I could separate 3 and 3 in two different brooders for the next 3 weeks until we can move them all outside. Or would that interrupt the pecking order and cause problems upon reintroduction? Any advice is much appreciated! Thanks so much!

How big is the footprint of the tub?
Until/unless actual damage is seen, I wouldn't make any changes -- as long as the footprint is large enough to provide appropriate amount of space per bird.

I cut the center out of my rubbermade tub & hooked chicken fencing over it. They can't jump out. Super easy to snap on & off. But...Frank learned that if he stood on the waterer, he could climb out. So use small wire.

CountryHeart06 said:

So I have 6 chicks - 2 Welsummers, 2 Wyandottes and 2 Orpingtons in a Rubbermaid container with no lid. The 2 Wyandottes keep jumping out and are charging everyone or jumping on top of the others or each other.

I'm wondering if I could separate 3 and 3 in two different brooders for the next 3 weeks until we can move them all outside. Or would that interrupt the pecking order and cause problems upon reintroduction?

Any advice is much appreciated! Thanks so much!

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They will jump out of just about anything that doesn't have a lid. But, how old are they and how much space do they have? It sounds like they may be overcrowded? I wouldn't separate them, that will only result in more issues with re-integrating down the road but a larger brooder may be needed.

Go to the grocery store and get a melon box. Or move them to their outdoor home with the heat lamp. A little plastic box isn't going to suit six juvies.

What the previous post said is good advice. I found that chicks need a lot of room after that first week. The more space and activities we can provide for them, the better they seem to behave toward each other. They like to run and flap their wings. Get bigger and bigger boxes or enclosures until they can be moved to a big coop or a big run/coop combination. I found that letting them either outside or into a bigger enclosed area for "play time" helped, but takes time and adds the burden of moving them from one place to another which can be a challenge in itself. My four 10-day-old chicks were moved into a huge 7' x 3' box which was way too big at the time. By 4-weeks old they were ready to move on to something more interesting and bigger and we transitioned them outside. It is amazing how they grow. Here are two pics - Daisy, Buff Orpington at 1 week and a few days ago at 5 weeks. She's at least 4 - 5x the size she was at 1 week (maybe more!).

I had my guys in a rubbermaid tote and they all started jumping out so I got an additional tote and bolted it to the previous one and cut a hole in the middle to give them more space. They still jumped so I put things for them to roost in on there and that did cut the jumping quite a bit but in the end I had to just put a panel of chicken wire over the top.

I have found that - at least with the weather in NC this time of year - they are plenty hardy enough to live outside in a covered hutch or coop - without the need for artificial heat or light when they are two weeks old. Last year I waited until they were about 4 1/2 weeks old and they were making a huge feathery, dusty mess indoors - - - this year - the four chicks and four ducklings went outdoors at age two weeks and they are doing FINE - handling wind, rain, dark and independence without any trouble. They have simple living structures set within temporary 8x8 foot pens and quiet down at dusk and are up with the sun.........happy and healthy. Daytime temps here range from 60 to 80........nighttime temps have been in the low 40s. Last year I obviously coddled them...they wanted out and they can handle being OUT. When they are a little larger (in another 10 days maybe) the temporary enclosures will come down and they will mingle with the larger fowl. Sometimes I think we tend to overdo the care thing.........they're tough and they're prepared by nature to handle more than we might think.

So I just did measurements and the tub is 2.5 ft. x 1.7 ft. I would love to move them outside (the dust is getting bad) however my husband hasn't finished the coop yet and is gone all this coming week for work so unfortunately my options are limited. We may just move them out as soon as the coop is done. They will be 3 weeks on Monday (born on St. Patrick's Day) and will probably be between 4 & 5 weeks by the time the coop is built. Unfortunately we will have to some how stick it out inside for now. I don't have anything bigger I have actually moved them from their original tub into a slightly bigger one. So I guess the only option is to create places for them to roost and a chicken wire lid?

That would work. One other option: buy a roll of chicken wire and make a 10 foot or so square outside. Turn the tote on its side so they can go in. You could have it up in under an hour & take it down when hubby finishes the coop.

If one wall is up against the house or shed or something & the tote is against that wall, they should be happy & warm.