Brooding: Inside or Outside?

[Trux]

In the house till two weeks then out to the small coop grow out's. At around 10 to 12 weeks into the big girl coop

 

[Brahmachicken240]

OUTSIDE in our shed is where we brood ours. Did it once in the house in our garage which is connected, and will NEVER do it again, the dust and the smell, took ages to get rid of. Who knew those little fuzz balls could cause such a big mess, the counter tops in the garage were WHITE

 

[sfcDonL]

My 1st batch were outside in a shed. I used a 9' diameter, 14" high cardboard pen so they can't shove one into a corner and smother it. Used a heat lamp 1/4 of the way in, away from the food & water. I used the 90° start temp and reduced it by 5° every week. I built a coop during that time.
That covered my tools, work bench and stuff I stored, with a thick layer of dust. I put the 2nd batch (15 ea) in a 3' by 4' section of the coop, used pine wood shavings for litter, with the adults. It was under a shelf and enclosed with 1/4" hardware mesh. Used a heat lamp and let the chicks decide how warm they wanted to be by moving closer or farther away from it. I let them go outside under the coop for a week, then out in the 1/2 acre, fenced yard.
The next batches were hatched by broody hens. Mama knows best. I didn't worry, gave them starter feed and they all lived. I let them go under the coop with mom for a week, then out with the others after that.

 

[Kris5902]

Thanks for the informative thread... I’ve been trying to figure this out as well. 14 chicks were a lot of mess for my “temporary” brooder set up in the garage/storage space with electric at the other end of the property. Because I’m looking at starting 80+ meat chicks the “where to brood?” is a big question. I m torn between the need to get some cash flow incoming and my completely inadequate living situation. Can’t brood in a 200sq foot RV with two people living in it. But my barn will be empty in 2 weeks...

The thought of putting such small babies out in the barn is a bit scary for me though... I mean the mice are the same size as baby chicks here! And the barn I have isn’t exactly predator proof, open eaves, gable ends, and big gaps around the doors...all it would take is for one mink to show a vague interest and that would be that.

 

[Relleoms]

I moved my chicks to the coop at 10 days old, and only waited that long because we had several nights subzero. The premier one heat plate is awesome, and I have it surrounded on three sides to keep out the drafts. They are 19 days old now and spend very little time under the heat plate during the day. So I enjoy them inside for a few days to make sure they’re all adjusting well, but once they start scratching crap (literally) out of the brooder...outside they go!

 

[merrymutts]

I kept my seven pullet babies ( 4 NH Reds and 3 Lilac Americanas .. all store bought ) inside for close to 3 weeks, then transferred them to the baby side of the coop last week. This small section is separate from the adults but with the chicken wire, each can see and hear their "mates". The box side if the baby pen has a double wall that I can hang a heat lamp onto and even with chilly nighttime temps, they are thriving.

 

[blackdog043]

Maybe start a thread on this feeder?
I have more questions but don't want to hijack this thread..

I'll start a thread tonight. Dang working for a living, gets in my way!

 

[Peppercorngal]

In the house till two weeks then out to the small coop grow out's. At around 10 to 12 weeks into the big girl coop

Is that Avatar a photo of your chicken? Adorable!

 

[Peppercorngal]

Thanks for the informative thread... I’ve been trying to figure this out as well. 14 chicks were a lot of mess for my “temporary” brooder set up in the garage/storage space with electric at the other end of the property. Because I’m looking at starting 80+ meat chicks the “where to brood?” is a big question. I m torn between the need to get some cash flow incoming and my completely inadequate living situation. Can’t brood in a 200sq foot RV with two people living in it. But my barn will be empty in 2 weeks...

The thought of putting such small babies out in the barn is a bit scary for me though... I mean the mice are the same size as baby chicks here! And the barn I have isn’t exactly predator proof, open eaves, gable ends, and big gaps around the doors...all it would take is for one mink to show a vague interest and that would be that.

Yes, you may have to create a enclosed safe space for the chicks. Predators can wipe out a flock in one night! Lots to think about, but you will figure it out and success with be yours!!

 

[aart]

I'll start a thread tonight. Dang working for a living, gets in my way!

Was thinking of this earlier..and told myself 'dude has to work'...us retirees forget that sometimes.