Brooder dimensions for six chicks?

[doughouse]

Hi all,
While preparing for the arrival of our little chicks I did a ton of research into all things chick and chicken related, so I felt pretty good about finding the largest plastic storage bin in our house and converting it to a brooder. It turned out okay, but... it's definitely not going to last them until they are ready to move out to the coop.

We currently have three chicks (currently five days old) but when they're two weeks old we'll be adding three more. I want to have something that will last all six until they're ready to move out to the coop. But everywhere I look I get different info on how much space they need. Some say 1 square foot each. Some say 2 square feet each. I even saw 8 square feet, which just seems insane. I'm thinking of maybe getting some plywood and putting together a 3'x4' brooder box with 2' high walls, with a partition I can put in to start them small and build back up to a larger space. Maybe a little smaller, depending on the plywood pieces I can scrape together. WIll this be sufficient to get them through six weeks? Can I do something a little smaller? Is that too small? Anyone else who has brooded six chicks: what did you use?
Thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

By 6 weeks they'll need 2.5 sq. ft. per bird.

 

[BackyardJulz]

I have a series of plastic tubs, dog crates, and a portable big brooder (3'x 3'x 8' that I made out of 2x4s and hardware cloth) that have gotten me through a number of batches of chicks. Recently, I wrapped the big brooder in plastic sheeting to help keep the chicks warm and draft-free with a heat lamp, and it worked really well with plywood on top.

You will be surprised at how fast they grow, and how high they can fly/hop by about 3 wks, so you might want to think bigger/taller. Maybe the 3x4' box would work, but definitely make a cover for it, even if it is 3' high.

Depending on your nighttime temps, you might have the chicks out to their coop by about 5 weeks (assuming you don't have mature hens who might pick on them), alleviating some of your space concerns.

Good luck and I hope your kids enjoy learning to raise chickens!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Everyone has slightly different numbers. I'd say 1 sq ft up to 4 weeks, 2 sq ft up to 8 weeks. However I give them 2 sq ft from the very start, and they're out of the brooder at 4-5 weeks.

3x4 should be fine for 6 weeks. Or if you coop is ready sooner, you can plan on moving them out a couple weeks earlier, depending on temperatures, if you can start weaning them off heat around 3 weeks or so.