HELP! How long do I have before my chicks fly?!

[Kitty135]

Hello! I'm the mommy of 15 baby chicks- 5 Rhode island reds, 5 buff orpingtons, 2 light brahmas, 1 silver laced Wyandotte, and 1 barred rock (and hopefully 5 serama bantams soon!). This is my first time raising chicks. We got our little pullets last Saturday and we have a huge delay. They currently are living at my grandparents house in a large bin with bedding, food, and water. How long do we have before they fly all over my grandparents house?! Also, another concern is that one of our pullets may turn out to be a rooster. One of turnouts brahmas is considerably larger than all of the other chicks and has a chest that sticks out like a rooster. Should this be of concern? They're all the same age yet he/she is much bigger!! We can't have a rooster and I need help distinguishing a pullet from a cockerel. Please help with either of my questions!

 

[Kitty135]

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[kla37]

Mine started trying their wings at 3-4 weeks.

 

[Kitty135]

Should we clip their wings at an early age??

 

[Fred's Hens]

At 4 weeks, most will fly and jump well enough to hop up to 2 feet with ease and possibly escape a 2 1/2 foot box side. You need to screen the top to keep them in.
You have other issues on which to focus right now, as well. Space!!! Chicks grow fast and need lots and lots of room, in a hurry. By week 4 and 5 they look and act like small adults. They'll need space. 15 small chickens will need the space of 6 feet by 6 feet very, very soon. Hopefully, you have a garage, a porch, a shed, someplace where you can construct a temporary holding pen or grow out pen.

PS They will also eat a LOT and poop a LOT and smell a LOT by that time as well.

 

[Ken F]

I agree, they start to fly at 3-4 weeks, but I doubt they will fly all over your grandmother's house. Most likely they'll just fly to the top of their box or up to any roosts you have for them. You could place a screen over their brooder to keep them in.

As for roosters, usually it takes until at least 6-8 weeks to differentiate between pullets and cockerels. Roosters don't start crowing until about 16 weeks, so you have time before you have to worry about that.

Good luck!

 

[KimberlyJ]

I would not clip a young birds wings. They are just learning to balance and it's a time of checking every thing out and they could use those wings. It will also help them get away from scarey things. A juvenile chicken is much more vulnerable and being able to flee could save their lives. As they grow you could get a bigger brooder for them, perhaps with a top of some kind. 15 "teenagers" will probably need more room anyway.

Even the best hatcheries only have a 90% success rate in sexing chicks....so mathematically speaking you probably have a roo in there somewhere. Sorry

 

[cininohio]

Mine flew out of their tub at 2 and a half weeks and were sitting on my couch! lol

 

[Kitty135]

Thanks for the advice

and yes, we are constructing a large coop (12 feet by 16 feet) in case we expand our flock. What should I put over their bin so they don't fly out??

 

[toddog]

you can use wire mesh we call it chicken wire i do not know if its the same thing in the us