3 week old chicks too big for brooder?

[brendapa]

At 2 weeks they are out of the small brooder into a 5' cardboard box with a heat emitter.

 

[Jen71]

Thank you! I never thought about a big cardboard box.
What a great idea!

I'm going to leave them in the playpen tonight. They've been fine all day, so perhaps they are warm enough. I'm sure they will let me know if they're unhappy.

I'd like to see if I can create something a bit more permanent (and easier to clean) tomorrow.
Thanks everyone!

 

[Anny]

If the out grow the fish tank you can move them to a dog crate, or a large rubber maid tub. Or even a box.

They do grow super fast don't they.

 

[Chieftain]

We bought this animal pen several years ago to help our rescue ferrets calm down before introducing them to the rest of the boodle. Then we used it again to help housebreak our pug puppy Gus. Now, the chooks are using it. They grew out of the brooder at about three weeks, and this is what we came up with for them.

There is a blue vinyl liner that the cage sections fit into, and are velcro strapped in place. I just put a couple of inches of litter in there along with the food and watering stations, along with a bucket for a shelter, and we are all set. Our two GSLs are in there and they have lots of room to move and run around. They are also a lot less flighty now, and they come right to me when I walk up to the cage.

These pens are available at most decent pet stores, and they are quite reasonably priced. When you're done, the whole thing collapses and folds up flat.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

They need to be at brooder temperature until 6 weeks. That can be in a brooder in the house, in their coop that is set up with a heat lamp as a brooder or just in a protected area outside on a warm day. I've had them in all those places. I just go by what temperature they should be at in the brooder for their age and use that as my guide.

Very young chicks are usually in the house with me, in case they have a hard trip and need extra care. Plus, they're really cute! Older chicks get quite large and either go to the coop or a chicken tractor, set up with a heat lamp. At either stage, they may be outside on warm sunny days, if the temperature is good for them, for their age.

You can just enlarge their brooder indoors, if you don't have too many or the dust isn't bothering you. You can always think about moving them out a little early with a heat lamp, if it gets to be too much for you inside. They do enjoy having more room to run and at the end, they do poop a lot more.

 

[chickintexas]

My little guys are in a large guinea pig cage at the moment. I considered the box thing that you guys are doing but if I did that then my husband would only delay building the coop!

I overheard him talking to his sister on the phone last night and he sounded almost panicked that he should start building no later than next weekend after he's completed building the back deck this weekend! He's shocked at how fast they are growing and it's a great incentive for him to get after it

 

[Keri78]

I moved mine to my spare bathroom upstairs...they lived happily in the bathtub for a few weeks. I sacrificed two bath towels and just rolled them up and threw them in the washer once in the morning and once again at night. This "worked" but I quickly grew tired of washing bathtowels so I moved them downstairs into my sunroom in a "Pop Up Camping tent"!!! I threw some straw on the floor of it and they were all set! Somewhere on here is a girl who did the same thing made a brooder out of a cheap tent. She gives the website where she bought it at for I think less than $15!!! Anyway...I liked that method MUCH better than my bathtub! They had PLENTY of room to run & play and loved the straw! Blessings, Keri

 

[Ridgerunner]

You're getting a lot of good advice here and aren't some of these photos great? I keep my brooder out in the coop, but we all have different set-ups and conditions. Whatever works for you.

I'll mention that daytime temperatures can be different from nighttime temperatures so in and out like you are doing sounds like a good plan. And the conditions outside here right now reminds me, pay attention to wind when they are outside. Being hit by the wind is not good for them and whatever you have them in maybe could be blown over. And, of course, you don't want them to get wet.

Just because some people can put their chicks outside at 6 weeks does not mean we all can. It depends on how cold it gets where you are, especially at night, and how they are housed. Mine were fine at 4 weeks, but it was June, there were a lot of them so they could keep warm huddling, and they were locked in a predator proof, draft proof coop. I did not let them out to the run until 8 weeks.

They are a lot tougher than many of us think.

Good Luck!!! I think you are doing fine.

 

[catdaddy66]

Quote:
Hey, hey, hey!! Easy on the hubbies

We love all of our ladies but it sounds like some ulterior motives for putting more on the "honey do" list!

Just had to speak up for the roos in the group!!

 

[chickintexas]

Quote:
Hey, hey, hey!! Easy on the hubbies

We love all of our ladies but it sounds like some ulterior motives for putting more on the "honey do" list!

Just had to speak up for the roos in the group!!

LOL! Naw, I'm really not the sneaky type. The storage building has been put off for way too long and he's been talking about it for years now. I just helped him by giving a tiny push

Trust me...he's actually pretty excited about it. He's already named it the "Deuce Coop." A duel purpose storage building and coop.