Flying/roosting

[Sricher91]

My chicks were hatched Wednesday, so they are 5 days old. They are already jumping and flapping and trying to fly. If I put my hand in the brooder about 5-6 inches off the ground they can flap and get some air and land on my hand. Does this means they’ll be escaping the coop soon? Everything I’ve read said that this doesn’t happen until they are a few weeks old.

Also how can I make a roosting pole? The brooder I’m using is a very large plastic bin. Is there any other like bird toys that I could buy that they would find fun?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Brooders should always be covered as chicks can easily pop themselves out. Something simple like a sheet of hardware cloth with bricks to hold it down works fine.

A roosting bar can be something as simple as a branch on the floor. Chicks don't roost until they're older so at the moment it would just be something for them to climb on.

 

[Poultry keeper12]

My chicks were hatched Wednesday, so they are 5 days old. They are already jumping and flapping and trying to fly. If I put my hand in the brooder about 5-6 inches off the ground they can flap and get some air and land on my hand. Does this means they’ll be escaping the coop soon? Everything I’ve read said that this doesn’t happen until they are a few weeks old.

Also how can I make a roosting pole? The brooder I’m using is a very large plastic bin. Is there any other like bird toys that I could buy that they would find fun?

Hey, if your brooder is high enough you should be fine for a few weeks, if not, put something on top of the brooder to keep them in, i just let them roam around the room, Lol.
Best Regards!!

 

[llombardo]

Mine started jumping out about 2 weeks ago, so between a week and week and half old. The room is chicken proof, so they wander around. They always jump back into the brooder. They roost on the edge of the brooder. I put a branch in but I wortied they would poke their eyes the way they jump around. They use it outside the brooder.