chicken blog

[barg]

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No I think thats when you Flag.
Is this turning into an Electric Company skit?
(If you dont understand, your too young or your memory is going)

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The tub I got at walmart is Not going to last the duration of 6-8 weeks, But it has made it to 4 1/2 weeks (barely).
I'm hopeing for good weather and getting them outside soon.

 

[barg]

Btw your going to need a screen on top of that as well, to keep them from flying out.

 

[domromer]

how long until they start to fly out?

How much room is enough for the 8 week peroid?

 

[barg]

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Someone else will have to answer that, these are my first chicks and were on week 4 right now. They will fly out soon, maybe a few days they will start hopping.
My chicks come to see me when I come near the tub, I lift the screen and they fly up and to my arm. We are useing an old window screen on top of the tub, we had one left from when we had a window replaced recently. On the short term, if you dont have an extra, maybe there is a screen on a window you could borrow for them for a while.

 

[michellerene]

Yes, I think the bathtub would work.

 

[pipermark]

depending on the breed, they will be able to fly out in 2 weeks. When I use to raise buttercups, they could perch on the side of the brooder (2 foot vertical flight, by week 3.

 

[domromer]

I'm trying to get the temp right. It seems like it may be too hot. They don't really hang out under the light. They seem to hang out on the other side of the pen where I keep the food and water. Ive since moved the food under the lamp. I figure if it's too hot they will stop eating and then I know for sure I need to raise the lamp. Right now the heat lamp is about 23" above the bottom of thier tub. I think maybe the fact that they are in a tupper wear and then in a bath tub is giving them some extra insulation. Thus it's a little bit hotter than the book say the light should be at a certain height.

I'm going to hang my snazzy digital meat thermometer in the tub so I can better keep track of the heat.

I've already named them, I don't think I'll ever be able to put them in the cook pot. I guess you shouldn;t name something you plan on eating one day!

I could never eat little Tasmin or Elizabeth!

 

[barg]

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[domromer]

So I took some readings the with meat thermometer. 95f 3" off the ground directley under the heat lamp. 85f 3" off the ground at the far end of the tub. Ground temp was 101f directly belwo the heat lamp. At first I thought it was too high but it seems ok. The substrate just feels nice and warm.

I think I'm probably stressing too much about temps. My wife used to raise baby chicks in Irealand. They lived in an unheated barn from the day they hatched. Maybe chicks were just tougher than!

 

[arwmommy]

I have mine in a dog crate (solves the size problem, and the flying problem) , but from "Storey's guide to raising chickens" (the chicken bible) it lists the following requirements for brooders (all in square feet/cm):

0-4 weeks=.5 square ft/450 square cm
4-8 weeks=1 ft/900 cm
8-12 weeks=2 ft/1800 cm
12+weeks, light breeds=2.5-3 ft/2250-2700 cm
12+ weeks, heavy breeds=3-3.5 ft/2700-3150 cm

For example, our brooder is 69 cm x 100 cm, so 6900 square centimeters. We have 6 chicks, so that gives them 1150 cm each--- well past 8 weeks.

In addition, my chicks are bantams, so we can almost cut those requirements in half--- but even with the standard sized numbers we are more than fine until they get into the coop at 6-8 weeks.

Good luck!!