brooder to chicken house ???

[cjdeere]

Hi everyone, When do I take my chicks from the brooder to the coop? I'm building them a house now but I'm not finished with it yet. My chicks are only two-three weeks old but I don't want to mess anything up for them by keeping them in the brooder too long or not long enough. And one more thing, when do I change from chick start feed to regular feed? Thanks everyone........

 

[Alexis]

I have similar questions... I see there are quite a few answers to this on the board so I've got some looking around to do. Mine are 4 weeks and they are all going OUT by this weekend. They will still need a heat lamp because there are a couple that are really small, with few feathers. Some of the bigger ones (like the brahmas) could have gone out a week ago with no problem.

 

[cjdeere]

Sorry, I made a quick look, didn't find an answer I was looking for so I asked. I thought that's what this forum was for. I don't have time to look at all the posts. My mistake I'll check elsewhere.

 

[newchickmom]

Hi ,
I'm still kind of new at this myself, but I got my chickens the first of oct. and moved them to the coop when they were about 4 wks. I blocked part of it off giving them an 8X8 area and kept thier heat light on them until they were ready for the whole coop. It was warm then though.

 

[silkiechicken]

You can put them out any time you want as long as the area is draft free and heated to the temp they need at their respective age. I actually brood mine in a outside brooder with a heat lamp. Just make sure they stay warm enough.

The only issue in keeping them in a small brooder inside is that if they get bored or crowded, they may start to pick on each other.

As for food, feed your starter/grower till they are about 16 weeks, or 20, or when they lay their first egg. That age varies a bit and when to switch depends on who you ask. I personally switch some time between 16 and 20 when the last bag of grower feed runs out.

Good luck!

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Quote:
Great questions. I moved my chickens out to their coop when they were 2 and 3 weeks old. They had outgrown their booder. I sectioned off about 1/4 of the coop so that I could enclose it for warmth and to keep the drafts out. They are now almost 5 and almost 6 weeks old It is still cold here at night (temperature in the high 20's), so I am running 2 heat lamps to keep them warm. During the day depending on the temperature, I am running 1 heat lamp. I check frequently to make sure that they are ok.

My chick feed starter says to feed for 6 weeks, but some here feed it for 8 weeks. I have just over a bag left, so I will feed it to them until it is gone and then switch.

Hopefully this answers your questions. Don't be afraid to ask, there are plenty of helpful chicken lovers here to answer your questions.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[cjdeere]

Thanks for the info guys

 

[coopist]

I put them outside from 3 weeks on, with a heat lamp. I don't think that they should go out sooner, because studies have been done that show that, oddly enough, cold feet can cause all sorts of little health issues. So air temp isn't the only consideration, actually. Their floor or litter should be 90 degrees the first week too, which is hard to manage outdoors. But that's just me--I'm a fanatic about healthy chicks and not everyone would be worrying about the temp of the litter

Most just measure air temp and do okay.

Anyway, to make a long post short, 3-4 weeks and they're usually good to go, IMO.

 

[Alexis]

cjdeere...
I hope you didn't misinterpret my comment about looking for info on the boards. This is VERY MUCH why we're here - to figure this stuff out together! I'm really glad you asked these questions, because you got some good answers!

Sorry if it sounded like I was saying to get lost - not my intention at all

 

[Steve]

Hi CJ,

Glad you asked as I was wondering myself. I think my chicks are about the same age as yours so I was glad to find this thread.