Brooder boxes are Full

[Anita Scott]

I have 7 Standard Bronze Poults that are 4 weeks old. Eventually they will free range with my 2 BBB hens, which pick on them at the moment when they go outside.

Most info that I see says to not let them go out at night until 8-12 weeks old. Any recommendations?? Thinking of building a temporary larger brooder box in the garage and moving out the 4 wheelers. Any ideas on the size we need?
I have a chicken and 3 3-week old chicks in a separate box. When is a good time and how do I merge her back to the flock with her chicks?

I have another hen in the coop that is sitting on eggs and want to move her in the garage. Her eggs can be replaced with chicks that are due to hatch in a couple of days. The guinea eggs that she is sitting on can go in the incubator. I have a waiting list for the next 44 keets.

 

[casportpony]

I'm gonna ask some turkey experts to look at your thread.

 

[Molpet]

Poults are fragile until about 8 wks. I can say 2x4 was too small for 4 poults at 6 weeks. Not sure how big you need but R2ELK will know.
I keep my broodies with the flock after they hatch. They are most protective of chicks the first couple weeks. That way I don't have integration issues. I would let the flock look but don't touch with a fence and see how they act.

 

[Molpet]

Broodies with chicks issue https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/introducing-a-broody-with-chicks.1203472/

 

[Anita Scott]

Poults are fragile until about 8 wks. I can say 2x4 was too small for 4 poults at 6 weeks. Not sure how big you need but R2ELK will know.
I keep my broodies with the flock after they hatch. They are most protective of chicks the first couple weeks. That way I don't have integration issues. I would let the flock look but don't touch with a fence and see how they act.

I let mom and the 3 chicks out yesterday to learn about mulberries and bugs. I saw that she was doing just fine with them and ran my eggs into the house. I came back a minute later and she had the chicks outside the fence and dusting and showing them off.

 

[Anita Scott]

I let mom and the 3 chicks out yesterday to learn about mulberries and bugs. I saw that she was doing just fine with them and ran my eggs into the house. I came back a minute later and she had the chicks outside the fence and dusting and showing them off.

We built a 7x 3.5x 4h brooder box for the poults. We put a door at the end for cleaning access. They seem to be liking it. We put 2 roosts with sawdust below on one end with a small divider to keep the sawdust away from the food.
Food, water and toys are at the other end. I gave them a rubber coated wire, some plastic connectors, a jinglebell, a plastic cap, a shiny knob and a hanging ball with a marble in the middle. Our older hens always grab these Kinds of things in our shop while we work. We found things they couldn’t Swallow, but Could carry around. They seem very content and have plenty of room until they are 3 mo old.

 

[Anita Scott]

I have 7 Standard Bronze Poults that are 4 weeks old. Eventually they will free range with my 2 BBB hens, which pick on them at the moment when they go outside.

Most info that I see says to not let them go out at night until 8-12 weeks old. Any recommendations?? Thinking of building a temporary larger brooder box in the garage and moving out the 4 wheelers. Any ideas on the size we need?
I have a chicken and 3 3-week old chicks in a separate box. When is a good time and how do I merge her back to the flock with her chicks?

I have another hen in the coop that is sitting on eggs and want to move her in the garage. Her eggs can be replaced with chicks that are due to hatch in a couple of days. The guinea eggs that she is sitting on can go in the incubator. I have a waiting list for the next 44 keets.

We got everyone into bigger brooder boxes and moved the broody hen into the garage. She might have a little over a week yet if she ends up hatching the eggs. So far she is patient, but not good at keeping her eggs under her. I keep putting clean rags around her to help with the eggs. She was the only alternative when I found the nest of over 30 guinea eggs and wasn’t sure if the guinea had already been on the best.