Brooder in coop?

[ckelley51]

Good morning. New chicken owner here(you probably could have guessed that by the question )
I have (6 ) 5 week old chicks in a brooder that seems like it is getting a little cramped for them. I’m thinking it’s time to move to the coop? Not having done this before, do I move the whole brooder inside the coop? Not sure how the whole transition should go? I have put them out in the run (not totally finished) supervised a couple times and it’s fun to watch them do their chicken things. Don’t want to rush things, but hate seeing them getting cramped in there. I have no other chickens to worry about integrating with.

 

[ckelley51]

This is what stage they are at

 

[TexasBlues]

Should be fine. I let my latest chicks into the coop with the main flock around 3-4 weeks.

 

[DobieLover]

I would have raised them in the coop.
You can easily put them out in the coop now.
If there is a ramp to navigate, you will need to teach them how to use it as they don't have a mother hen to teach them.

 

[ckelley51]

Thank you
So, a follow up question I guess would be, now that they have been in the brooder and not the coop, should the brooder go out in the coop to make a smoother transition?

 

[DobieLover]

should the brooder go out in the coop to make a smoother transition?

No. They will be fine.

 

[ckelley51]

Hope I’m not going off topic here, but I wasn’t planning on water in the coop. What kind of set up should I use to not have them spill water everywhere with a temporary set up?

 

[TexasBlues]

Should be fine. I let my latest chicks into the coop with the main flock around 3-4 weeks.

I take that back, mine were only 2 weeks old when I let them into the main coop.
You can use a bucket with nipples if you are concerned about a mess.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are your overnight lows? At five weeks I would not worry about any temperatures above freezing.

Your coop should be bigger than the brooder so they should have plenty of room. Just turn them loose in there. If they have never been in the dark they may get upset when it gets dark but they should get over that within 15 minutes. I turn mine lose during the day.

You have two options. You can leave them locked in the coop section for about a week so they get used to sleeping in there before you let them in the run. That way they will probably (no guarantees but probably) go in the coop to sleep at night. Of course you would have to provide food and water in the coop while they are locked in there.

Or give them access to the coop and run. There is a good chance you will need to go out there at bedtime to lock them in the coop for overnight. If you are consistent doing that every night they will eventually learn to go in on their own. I've had some learn that in one night, some took three weeks. That is with the same breeds of chicks at the same age and the same coop. Each batch can be that different.

What waterer do you plan to use? If it is one of those plastic quart jar waterers with the red part they drink out of you can hold it in place by using a bent wire around the jar so they don't knock it over. Some people use nipples. I use a black rubber bowl I got at Home Depot and put rocks in it. That keeps baby chicks from drowning if they get in and keeps the bowl from flipping over when they stand on the edge. They'll poop in it when walking on the rocks so you need to change it daily and rinse it out.

 

[ckelley51]

Thank you, appreciate the help!