Chicken brooder size

[500Chickens]

i am getting 26 chicks this week and i have a 3'x3' brooder set up. is that big enough? also, with that size brooder, when should i move them out?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

No, it's not nearly big enough. You'll have a waterer and a feeder in there which will take up a lot of the space. And what are you planning to use for heat?

 

[500Chickens]

No, it's not nearly big enough. You'll have a waterer and a feeder in there which will take up a lot of the space. And what are you planning to use for heat?

I have a red bulb heat lamp and have been regulating the temp so my little peepers don't get broiled.

 

[Down Under]

26 chicks of what breed or breeds?
Are they standard size or bantam?
What age are you planing to move them outside?

 

[500Chickens]

6 black sexlinks and the other 20 are a mystery. they are all standard size though. i was going to move them outside from 3-6 weeks but a chicken coop still needs to be built for them...

 

[Down Under]

They will probably outgrow the 3x3 within a week or so, you will need at least double that or maybe 2.5x that just to get them to 6 weeks comfortably. If it maybe longer than 6 weeks then you will at least need triple the size that you have now.

 

[500Chickens]

thanks, i can also set up another brooder but it is smaller(about 2.5'x1.5')

 

[rosemarythyme]

Split the group in half and set up a 2nd brooder, both to make the space more manageable and to prevent crushing/piling deaths. Aim for 1 sq ft minimum per chick by 4 weeks old, 1.5 by 6 weeks.

 

[500Chickens]

thanks

 

[Down Under]

If you can get a hold of a second heat lamp or brooder plate and more feeders and waterers then you can use a puppy pen or a refrigerator box as a second brooder. I made a large one for virtually nothing out of two commercial coffee machine crates and some spare timber (lumber) that I had laying around.

Edit: virtually nothing because I ran out of screws and had to buy a few more, lol.