First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[Jensownzoo]

Hi. My ten chicks are 10 and 12 days old, and I've had them for just under a week. One of them is already trying to hop out of the brooder box. I am wondering if I created a "pen" of sorts and moved them to our garage, and kept the brooder box, but cut down one side of it so that they can get out and wonder but then go back into the box for food and water and warmth, if that's okay. Or if I should just keep them in the brooder box? Or maybe I could put the pen around the box in case they get out of the box? Is there such a thing as too much space for these little suckers?? 

More space is good for exercise and the psyche, but you're going to want to put a top on whatever you end up putting them in...a rough estimate is that they can fly as high in feet as they are weeks old.

 

[magicstorm]

As long as they can find the way to feed and water and heat if needed they will be fine in a bigger area. At first mine were in a 3x3 ft brooder. By 3 weeks i had moved them to a 6x6 penned area. I live in florida so at 3 weeks they avoided the heat like the plague. It was 85 or 90 degrees then. Now at 7 weeks they are in the regular coop and run. And they love it.

 

[magicstorm]

More space is good for exercise and the psyche, but you're going to want to put a top on whatever you end up putting them in...a rough estimate is that they can fly as high in feet as they are weeks old.

x2. Both of mine were covered

 

[Blondie1026]

Well I stopped at rural king to get a couple heat lamp bulbs and more chick feed for my 5 chicks we hatched......ended up coming home with 6 new babies out of the "clearance" tank.....my 8 and 10 year old girls begged and I gave in. So we got 3 isa browns and 3 black sexlinks for .99 each all because they were 2-3 weeks old already, which is perfect because they're the same age as our chicks. The sexlinks are obviously smaller now that we have them home so they are probably closer to 2 weeks. Now we have 11 in the brooder and it's become apparent I need a bigger brooder so that's on the agenda tomorrow

 

[kekstrom]

I love Dorothy!

Dorothy is cute!!!!!!

Hahaha, she is wild looking huh?! And I agree, super cute. I love our EEs temperaments. Docile and friendly with lots of personality.

 

[kekstrom]

Well I stopped at rural king to get a couple heat lamp bulbs and more chick feed for my 5 chicks we hatched......ended up coming home with 6 new babies out of the "clearance" tank.....my 8 and 10 year old girls begged and I gave in. So we got 3 isa browns and 3 black sexlinks for .99 each all because they were 2-3 weeks old already, which is perfect because they're the same age as our chicks. The sexlinks are obviously smaller now that we have them home so they are probably closer to 2 weeks. Now we have 11 in the brooder and it's become apparent I need a bigger brooder so that's on the agenda tomorrow

Hahaha, uh oh! Well I'll make sure to stray away from the 'clearance' tanks at my co-op.... I'll take the LONG way around for my supplies. Haha. Chicken math.

 

[Jensownzoo]

I got my black sexlinks on clearance from RK...and two of them are rapidly becoming my favorite birds because they're so friendly! Much more friendly than my EEs...but not quite as friendly as Einstein the Dominique or Barbie the barred rock, who follow me everywhere running a constant commentary...

 

[lizdelc]

Here are my little chicks!

 

[jen34chickies]

Here are my new little ones. They are a week now. We were told they are amerucano and ee. No clue on sexes yet but it should be interested since we are totally new to them.

 

[magicstorm]

Here are my new little ones. They are a week now. We were told they are amerucano and ee. No clue on sexes yet but it should be interested since we are totally new to them.

So cute. The black ones look like my purebred black ameraucanas did at a few days old.