HELP!!!I have 12 in brooder.

[wolfbaine30]

HELP!!!I have 12 in brooder.They are around 3 weeks old and I have 8 in the incubator.I was needing to know if I can put the ones in the incubator(due to hatch tommorrow) in with the other ones in the brooder or if I have to build a new brooder box.What to do....What to do???

 

[Katy]

I'd fix another brooder. Those 3 week olds will be much bigger than the new ones. I'd be afraid they'd peck on the little ones.

 

[mmajw]

If they were a week apart maybe but not 3 weeks they are likely to get trampled.

 

[Suess hens]

do you have a large storage box? Something you can put the bigger girls in with another source of heat? I have my three weekers in a kiddie pool with a light just to the side of the middle of it. They do really well in there. I also have hung a blanket around one side of it to help keep the heat in. Just an idea.

 

[carress]

I'd probably slip somehting inside the brooder to make two separate sections. If you have something they can see through, as I understand it, that will help the chicks become familiar w/ each other and less likely to peck.

 

[coffeemama]

I use a smal kiddie pool for my hatchlings until about a week when they start to hop up on the ledge. They sell here for about $9.

 

[Suess hens]

Quote:
Open up two boxes and you can line the outsides, taping them together....now mine just roost on the edges of the kiddie pool but aren't running around the sun porch.

 

[gadzooke]

Quote:
I also use a kiddie pool but I surrounded it with 24 inch hardware cloth. Then we put a section of chain link fencing over the top. That keeps them from flying over and also keeps the cat out. The black labs just knocked the whole thing over and killed 8 of my first batch so now they are banished from the garage!!!

 

[wolfbaine30]

Thanks guys.I appreciate all the info.I think I'm going to put a divider in my brooder box,but I wont be able to put a window in it so they will be able to see each other,but all the same it should work.I did come home yesterday to 1 RIR chick and we had to help 3 out because they looked to be drying out........now I have 4 RIR chicks and I believe 1 Black Wyandotte chick.Today is day 21 for them and I still have 3 eggs still in there.Come on babies hatch.