41 chicks coming! Critique the nursery!

[WhiteRockCrazyBird]

We pick up our chicks on April 4. Ordered 41 total! For their first week or so, I decided to divide them into 3 pens, 2x5 ft. Got 12x24" Mama's heating pads in each one, a vertical nipple waterer, and a chick feeder with hardware cloth to help reduce waste. Each feeder has a plastic jar not pictured. The nursery is in part of our new coop area in the barn, draft free and secure. Am I missing anything? Tips, advice? When they're old enough to get over the dividers, I was going to remove all of them. We'll finish putting in the roosts/poop boards and nesting boxes once the dividers are gone. Will the chicks continue to use their own MHP or will they all try to crowd in one or should I make a big one? By 4-5 weeks, im hoping to have over half of them sold.

 

[Folly's place]

I've never used those nipple waterers, and wonder if one is enough for the number of chicks in each section. Make sure and show each chick how to get water as you put them into the pen.
Bantam chicks can get right through that chicken wire, and so can many predators, and mice. And some chicks will be over those short walls in two weeks!
At least replace the chicken wire over the window with well secured hardware cloth, because raccoons will come right through it.
It's a very organized arrangement for your new chicks, with plenty of space. Good for you!
Mary

 

[WhiteRockCrazyBird]

Mary, thanks so much for responding! I had wondered about using hardware cloth vs chicken wire on the window and chose the latter because a. I was out of hardware cloth, and b. it looked neater. We thankfully do not have any raccoons around here, but I will put cloth on it before opening it.. with the weather we're having, it may be mid-summer before it's warm enough!!! I did make a second nipple waterer for each pen, I'll definitely add it if I think they need it. Our first order arrived yesterday, they threw in a few extras, so now 33 chicks are sleeping under MHP in two pens. I can already see I need another feeder in each. The other order of chicks will be in tonight or tomorrow morning, should be 11-15 more. I will start a new diary thread to follow our chicks' progress!

 

[WhiteRockCrazyBird]

Some quick pics of their arrival!

 

[Folly's place]

Cute chicks! Just get the larger feeders now, those little ones are hardly worth the effort.
Yes, you do have raccoons! And foxes, and possums, and every other critter available in the Midwest.
Mary

 

[HoopyFrood]

What a setup and what beautiful chicks! Congratulations!

Mary's offered some great tips, so I'll just add a couple thoughts.

I used two nipples per hanging waterer like that, it worked great! How is that working out for you?

Also are you using medicated feed? I don't generally. We add a little shallow box of dirt from their run as soon as we can (it was on the first day last year) to get them exposed to the local cocci. They build up immune systems fast! The upside of doing it this way was we had baby chicks dust bathing by their third day!

I think our chicks could get over a two foot barrier in their second week. I think it was only 3 or 4 weeks before they could clear obstacles over three feet high. They grow so fast!!