How big should my brooder be?

[charnic44]

I ordered 25 chicks from Purely Poultry and they are supposed to be shipped from Wisconsin on Feb. 11. How big should my brooder be?

 

[cafarmgirl]

How long you plan to keep them in there has a lot to do with it but for the first two or three weeks they need about half to one square foot of space per chick. I tend to go on the larger end to help prevent pecking issues. So you would need about a 25 square foot brooder for that many chicks. By about 3 weeks you will need a much larger space. In the past I've used dog exercise pens in my garage with a heat lamp, now I just move them into their grow out pen with a heat lamp.

 

[Marthab1953]

Congrats on your new chicks that will be arriving!
And Welcome to BYC from Southern California!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hi there,

and welcome to BYC!

Cafarmgirl X2. They are going to need about 1/2 square foot to start and by the time they are 6 weeks old, they are going to need at least 1 square foot per bird or more. They grow fast and are very active. Pecking each other can be an issue in a small brooder with nothing to do. I like to put in branches for them to climb on when they are only a few days old. But the time they are a week old, I put in a 2x4 with the 2 side up and at 2 weeks old, they are already roosting at night. Makes for easy transition to the coop when the time comes and they know how to roost when they spend their first night outside.

Make sure to notify your Post Office that they are coming so they can call you when the babies arrive there. Good luck with your new babies and enjoy BYC!

 

[charnic44]

Thanks everyone! I have notified the post office and I can't wait until they get here!

They will have to stay in the brooder for about three weeks because it has been getting in the -20s at night here in Montana.

Thanks!

 

[roostersandhens]

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your new chicks!

 

[gander007]

Alright

great to have you here with us

My brooder is 3 ft x 3 ft


Week three I moved them out side for the other chickens
to see this cage is 3ftX3ft till week 5 then to growing cage
and number of chickens was 30

gander007

 

[ClovisMan]

I have 15 birds and when they came I separated them into 2 of the medium dog kennels they are 20in by 30in or so. They grew out of those quickly. Over the weekend, I built a 6.5ft x 4ft brooder with 2 ft side walls. Much happier chicks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/44/texas/22820#post_12784598

 

[herechilychiky]

HI, Welcome to BYC!!!! Good luck with your new babies..