First time raising chicks

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That other guy

That other guy

In the Brooder
Jun 18, 2015
55
2
43
Missouri
Hello everyone! Checking in from lovely Missouri.

So we're looking to become self sufficient, and as it's our first time raising chicks, I was looking for any helpful pointers that I could get.

We have a 10 feet x 10 feet chicken coup, more of a building than anything, it came with six laying boxes in there, and a fairly nice set of roosting poles (needs some maintenance).

I'm starting a flock with 20 chicks, 15 Delaware and 5 Black Australorps (great name), and a second batch about a 21 days later (as that was the soonest these guys were available) 5 Cinnamon Queen, and 5 Royal Purple Guinea Fowl (pest control gooooo!!!!).

We are going to go with the plastic rubbermaid brooder for them at first, and these birds are coming from Cackle hatchery in Missouri. So my first question, is can the two sets of birds be put into the same brooder upon arrival of the second batch? Or will the first batch as they are slightly older attack them, causing us to need a second container?

For 20-30 chicks, how much space is needed for the chicks as they grow older before they are put into the chicken house?
The initial area is still in question as I'm going to be running to the store to find the rubbermaid victim for the baby chicks that arrive next thursday.

Side note, these guys will be allowed to free range in the area, and as of now, we were not going to have a run for them to be in, and they were going to just have the lot to themselves. We have more than enough space for them to run around, so its more of a matter of when should they be allowed to free range like that, since I've heard they need to imprint that the chicken coup is there home. How long does imprinting normally take?

I have more questions but its getting late. So I'll start with that.

Thank you!

That other guy.
 
Once they are feathered out and in the coop, generally you lock them in (with food & water) for 2-3 days.(unless there is an extreme heat wave). During that time they imprint on the coop as their home. Once released they should come back at dusk to roost.

Rule of thumb for coops is 4-5 sq. feet per bird, excluding nest boxes and roosts. It's also good to have a secure, covered run as plan B. If predators take too many of your birds while free ranging, you will be glad to have a place to safely hold them. The run should allow 10 sg.feet per bird.
 
Thanks for the tip, I may need to look at the area and build a run for them...

Two additional questions: As I only have six laying boxes for the hens, does every chicken need their own box to lay in? (We were going to add additional boxes soon, but just curious how many we should probably add)
And do chickens share these laying boxes? Like, if one bird goes in, lays and leaves, will another bird just pop in and lay another egg?
 
Welcome to BYC!

Congrats on getting your first flock, that's always exciting. You should get plenty of eggs with the breeds you have selected.

You might want to get a 2nd brooder box for the chicks that are coming 3 weeks later. They'll be smaller and the biggers could give them a hard time.

A couple more nesting boxes is a good idea with 30 hens (if I counted right). You won't need them for a while so you have time. And yes, they will share.

It's nice to have you here, feel free to ask questions. There are a lot of friendly, knowledgeable members here.
 
Thank you :) glad to be here.

So another thought that I've been seeing for a brooder is using a wading pool and then putting up a draft guard/brooder guard around it such as cardboard or something to that effect. Looking at the rubbermaid bins and for 20 chicks that may not be enough room for them :/. So may have to get 2-3 of the things for the group... or maybe I'm overestimating their size and space needed before they get thrown into the chicken coup.
 

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