Does anyone else do this?????

[justmeandtheflock]

If I don't have a broody mama then they start out in the house for a week or so because I like to snuggle them

After that I can't take the dust anymore so out they go. I do miss them when they are outside though.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I'm the same way. I can't handle the dust.

 

[Kristin.marlies]

I raise mine in the house until they are 7-8 weeks old. I only ever have ten at a time though. I do have to clean the poo out often but I love hearing the peepers. It's worth it and my kids love it.

 

[gumbii]

in my room...













until the giant chicken coop is finished... then the brooder is going in there...

 

[Sinfonian]

I plan on it. 1 month in a brooder in the spare bathroom. It's kind of ugly so we don't use it much anyway. This will be a reason to renovate it. The second month will be in the unheated garage where clean up will be easier. Of course I'm NOT mentioning the dust or smell to my wife. She's currently on board with the whole chicken experiment. She would freak if I told her it could smell. She doesn't like the cat box in the house for indoor cats, hehe. Best to get the chickens first so she can't say no...

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

the dust, that's why I hate birds in the house, if you keep them clean the is no smell, but the dust I'm still finding dust, almost as bad as dry plucking a 'scovy duck in the house, still finding feathers floating around, and that was christmas

 

[RioLindoAz]

Two weeks. Two weeks...

...Of hell. Dust and down everywhere, the stench of crap ramming up your nose,

Dust sets like crazy weeks after the chicks are out, and the smell isn't soon to go either. I steamed the entire room about 5 times a day with stagnant results for a week.

A large, secure run with a tarp or solid roof overhead can go a long way. Just pop one of those 250 watt bulbs three feet from the ground and you're good to go.

 

[feather and mountain man]

The first couple of days are great babies are so cute. The next couple of weeks constant cleaning. Uhg but I am hoping this will be my last baby chick raising experience since I got some roos to fertilize the hens now. I will let them do the work from now on.

 

[dsqard]

This is the first time I am keeping chicks in the house. It is just too cold to put them outside here yet. I have five, five week old chicks in the house right now. The smell has definitely been managable but there is a lot of dander causing a lot of dust and of course they are getting pine shavings all over the place. I have them in our dining room which has a wood floor so clean up is actually pretty easy. I don't know if I would do this with carpet though. I am planning on hatching more eggs so yeah, I am going to do this again but we will see how things go. I might wait until warmer weather next year if I hatch more. I have discovered that once you can turn off the heat lamp at night they will get a lot quieter!

 

[Egg Rookie 2010]

I just got my first babies 2 days ago and they are on big towels (which Ill toss) over pine shavings. The paper towel thing did not work. I have gone through 3 towels in 2 days. I dont smell them but hubby says they are stinky (well dont stick your head in the box then I tell him) They are upstairs in my loft craft room. So I guess I can expect a lot of duct when I remove that towel huh? So how about this? I think today Ill have him put shutters on the coop windows and enclose the 7 foot long side under the nestboxes, leave the 2 foot end open and hang a heat lamp in there (Ill cut out the bottom of a nest box and hang it there) so they can run under there when they are cold (it is about 35 at night) and run the rest of the 8 x 10 coop when they want. It is on a lino floor that Ill put pine shavings on. Do you think it will be too cold for them even with a heated "tunnel"? There are 26 of them today but Im trying to re home the 10 extra males Ideal sent for body heat.