Brooder Size?

[werttyy]

Hey,
I have 4 chicks, 2 2 weeks, 2 3 weeks. They are in a brooder the size of a medium dog crate. When could they live outside? And do they need a bigger brooder?

 

[Judy]

One rule of thumb on brooder size is about 2 sq ft per chick til 8 weeks. It can be as small as 0.5 sq ft for the first week or two, though.

Outside depends what you mean. Mine are outside from day one with a heat lamp, in a pen in the coop. They should be fully feathered and ready to be outside in cold weather without heat around 6 weeks. They will be safe for outdoor time during the day much younger than that, depending on weather and wind/shelter. Sometimes people who start out brooding in the house and regret it will set up a brooder in a garage or on a porch with a heat lamp and a partial cover, or something similar. Those 250W red heat lamps are really designed for sheltered outdoor use.