Brooder size needed for 20 baby chicks?

[451757]

Yay 20 baby chicks! My first chicks we had 15 in a wire dog crate that was sealed with hardware cloth and it worked well for the first 3 weeks. After that the chicks needed more space and actually started to get injured because they didn’t have enough space and were scratching each other up while trying to move around. We had to scramble to make a second brooder and it was not ideal. These were Lavender Orpington’s. So I would say 20 may work for about 2 weeks, after that I would either put half or all of them in another space.
I would also try to give as many as possible to your broody hen if she will accept them. The way I do this is by putting the chicks under my best mother when she is sitting on eggs. I only do one/two at a time and keep her, her eggs and the given chicks separate from the flock. Her reaction has always been to immediately accept the chicks and turn to me like, “get away from my baby”. This has a lot to do with this breed and the specific hen. I always give her space after that, but make sure to watch her for a bit and check frequently. I prefer to do this in the morning so I can check throughout the day, but I have seen some people have better success at night when the hen is calm and docile. If she is not nesting on eggs when your chicks arrive you can try putting eggs/wooden eggs under her to bring out her broody side. Good luck with this!

I think we're going to just raise them ourselves instead of trying them with the hen in case her sister ever tried to hurt them and so they can bond with us better.

Aside from the extra large wire dog crate, we do have another wire dog crate that is just slightly smaller than the extra large. We thought about maybe connecting the two together to expand the brooder once they start reaching the 2 week mark. Would that work as a brooding setup for the full 6 weeks until they're fully feathered and can go outside without supplemental heat?

Also, we are so worried about raising them correctly and would much rather have juvenile chickens, but we can't find any from an online hatchery that won't cost us $700 between the cost of the birds and shipping (sigh). So, that's why we're going with babies and praying that we not only do everything right, but that we also end up with 20 hens and no roos. Should we maybe strictly get sex links to be safe? And what are the bare, basic things we need to have/do with baby chicks to keep them healthy and alive? Should we request that they be vaccinated by the hatchery?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think we're going to just raise them ourselves instead of trying them with the hen in case her sister ever tried to hurt them and so they can bond with us better.

Aside from the extra large wire dog crate, we do have another wire dog crate that is just slightly smaller than the extra large. We thought about maybe connecting the two together to expand the brooder once they start reaching the 2 week mark. Would that work as a brooding setup for the full 6 weeks until they're fully feathered and can go outside without supplemental heat?

Also, we are so worried about raising them correctly and would much rather have juvenile chickens, but we can't find any from an online hatchery that won't cost us $700 between the cost of the birds aand shipping (sigh). So, that's why we're going with babies and praying that we not only do everything right, but that we also end up with 20 hens and no roos. Should we maybe strictly get sex links to be safe? And what are the bare, basic things we need to have/do with baby chicks to keep them healthy and alive? Should we request that they be vaccinated by the hatchery?

Check Craigslist. I at least, usually sell pullets after I know they're pullets from my order when they're older since they won't all fit my programs

 

[rosemarythyme]

Aside from the extra large wire dog crate, we do have another wire dog crate that is just slightly smaller than the extra large. We thought about maybe connecting the two together to expand the brooder once they start reaching the 2 week mark. Would that work as a brooding setup for the full 6 weeks until they're fully feathered and can go outside without supplemental heat?

Also, we are so worried about raising them correctly and would much rather have juvenile chickens, but we can't find any from an online hatchery that won't cost us $700 between the cost of the birds and shipping (sigh). So, that's why we're going with babies and praying that we not only do everything right, but that we also end up with 20 hens and no roos. Should we maybe strictly get sex links to be safe? And what are the bare, basic things we need to have/do with baby chicks to keep them healthy and alive? Should we request that they be vaccinated by the hatchery?

Measure the crates to know for sure. If you really are intending to keep them in the brooder without any outside access for 6 weeks, I'd go even bigger than what I originally advised, like 30 sq ft by 6 weeks. Can I ask why you're so set on 6 weeks as the move out date? Are you not located in northern hemisphere?

And actually, where will the brooders be located? Do you have an integration plan already? If you can run heat outside, brooding them in view of the hens would be optimal to shorten integration time a bit.

If you absolutely don't want to risk getting males, sex links might be a good option, though keep in mind the trade offs with getting higher production birds.

As far as vaccinating, that's a personal choice - some people believe in vaccinating their flocks, some don't. Mine are vaccinated for Mareks only because my local feed stores seem to all order them that way.

 

[451757]

Measure the crates to know for sure. If you really are intending to keep them in the brooder without any outside access for 6 weeks, I'd go even bigger than what I originally advised, like 30 sq ft by 6 weeks. Can I ask why you're so set on 6 weeks as the move out date? Are you not located in northern hemisphere?

And actually, where will the brooders be located? Do you have an integration plan already? If you can run heat outside, brooding them in view of the hens would be optimal to shorten integration time a bit.

If you absolutely don't want to risk getting males, sex links might be a good option, though keep in mind the trade offs with getting higher production birds.

As far as vaccinating, that's a personal choice - some people believe in vaccinating their flocks, some don't. Mine are vaccinated for Mareks only because my local feed stores seem to all order them that way.

I've just read that 6 weeks old is the norm. We live in Alabama so my original plan was to move them outside at 4 weeks. Thoughts?

We wanted to build an outside brooder originally, but we worried about predators (we have foxes, raccoons, coyotes, and snakes) hearing their peeps and attacking the brooder. It would be built as strong as possible with hardware cloth, plywood, etc, but we still worry with them being so tiny. However, if 30 sq ft is best, it would have to be built outside.

They won't be integrated with the hens. We were only going to put them with the hens when we thought about seeing if our broody hen would take to them, but we don't want to risk the other hen (her sister) hurting them.

 

[JDChickChat]

I think we're going to just raise them ourselves instead of trying them with the hen in case her sister ever tried to hurt them and so they can bond with us better.

Aside from the extra large wire dog crate, we do have another wire dog crate that is just slightly smaller than the extra large. We thought about maybe connecting the two together to expand the brooder once they start reaching the 2 week mark. Would that work as a brooding setup for the full 6 weeks until they're fully feathered and can go outside without supplemental heat?

Also, we are so worried about raising them correctly and would much rather have juvenile chickens, but we can't find any from an online hatchery that won't cost us $700 between the cost of the birds and shipping (sigh). So, that's why we're going with babies and praying that we not only do everything right, but that we also end up with 20 hens and no roos. Should we maybe strictly get sex links to be safe? And what are the bare, basic things we need to have/do with baby chicks to keep them healthy and alive? Should we request that they be vaccinated by the hatchery?

I used an extra large dog crate for my chicks! (The welded metal kind) and it was fine. Granted I only had 7 chicks in there, but it was plenty of space for the first 2 to 3 weeks. After that, I used large pieces piece of cardboard to extend the brooder about and additional 5 x 2.5 to the side of the dog crate and that worked wonders.

 

[gimmie birdies]

My brooder set up at the moment, outside, a dresser with all the drawers removed and the back taken off- so it is like a big box with no top or bottom. The dresser face then laid on the ground, with the open back side facing up. I then hang a clamp lamp tied to a stick, and put boards on top fully covered at night or a mesh baby gate for sunlight, on part of the brooder for the day with some shade-y areas. I put my chicks out yesterday, This AM to check on them, before I opened the brooder, I could hear calm happy peeping inside the brooder, even though last night was quite windy. (And a skunk came by but didn't get in, that is another story.)

 

[JDChickChat]

I think we're going to just raise them ourselves instead of trying them with the hen in case her sister ever tried to hurt them and so they can bond with us better.

Aside from the extra large wire dog crate, we do have another wire dog crate that is just slightly smaller than the extra large. We thought about maybe connecting the two together to expand the brooder once they start reaching the 2 week mark. Would that work as a brooding setup for the full 6 weeks until they're fully feathered and can go outside without supplemental heat?

Also, we are so worried about raising them correctly and would much rather have juvenile chickens, but we can't find any from an online hatchery that won't cost us $700 between the cost of the birds and shipping (sigh). So, that's why we're going with babies and praying that we not only do everything right, but that we also end up with 20 hens and no roos. Should we maybe strictly get sex links to be safe? And what are the bare, basic things we need to have/do with baby chicks to keep them healthy and alive? Should we request that they be vaccinated by the hatchery?

I had mine outside at 4 weeks in NJ, so you may be able to put them out sooner. But I think your set up will be fine.

 

[middle TN Nancy]

I put my 8 day-old chicks in a 30”x18” dog crate w/cardboard halfway up the sides - kept them in the guest room at first and moved the whole brooder to the coop when they were 5 days old, with the crate door fastened open. They had a heat plate for the first month (it was June) but now I’ve removed the brooder completely and they’re just in the coop and run (Fort Knox) - they will be 5 weeks old tomorrow.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've just read that 6 weeks old is the norm. We live in Alabama so my original plan was to move them outside at 4 weeks. Thoughts?

They won't be integrated with the hens. We were only going to put them with the hens when we thought about seeing if our broody hen would take to them, but we don't want to risk the other hen (her sister) hurting them.

I'm in WA and the longest I've had chicks in a brooder was 5 weeks, and they were absolutely insane at that point. Since then I've raised them outside and they start getting run access at 2 weeks and come off heat 3-4 weeks.

If you're not going to integrate them with the hens, you have the chicks' coop and run set up?

 

[Folly's place]

The only reason mine aren't at the coop after their first few days from the post office, is because their Marek's vaccine needs two weeks or a bit more to be on board for them.
Mary