Brooder to Coop Transition ?

[ranger4327]

we get our 9 chicks in a week or so.... we plan to use a dog crate as the brooder and i am currently working on a coop. my question is: at some point the chicks will outgrow the brooder, but i beleive it is still to cold out (we live in maine) to put them outside in the new coop. Even if i were to put a heat source in the coop, is it a good idea to go from the brooder directly to the coop? or should i use an intermediate one (bigger), than make the transition. i plan to brood in either the garage or basement.

any thoughts ?

also, i was told today, NO scratch until they are 6-8 weeks old ? and no grit while on medicated starter feed, and really no grit until winter when they would be mostly confined to the coop.....

 

[gritsar]

Depending on how large the coop is, you may want to start them in their brooder inside the coop to keep them confined to the area closest to their heat source.
Really, they can be brooded anywhere that is draft free and kept to the temp. needed per their age.
If all you are feeding them is chick starter, you don't need grit. Start offering grit when you start treats (foods) other than their chick starter that need grinding up. An example of this would be - hard boiled egg, no grit. Greens, grit. If you are planning on keeping them confined they will need grit when eating other foods, no matter the season. My chickens free range, so I don't offer grit. They find plenty on their own.
My chickens were more than 6 months old the first time I offered scratch and I only feed it in the wintertime. Others feed it year round.