How big should the brooder be?

[cherylcohen]

For an eight week old is it 3 sq feet needed or much less

 

[Emma-ly]

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Thats exactly what i am doing lol...i am just going to make mine bigger because of the cold weather here that can last till late march early april on a fluke day so just incase mine is going to be either 8x8x2 or 8x5x2

8'x3'= 24 sq.ft so from everything I've read 1/2 sq. ft. per chick for ages 1-4 wks. You have enough for 48 chicks that age.
1 sq. ft. per chick for ages 4-8 wks. You have enough for 24 chicks. (give or take)*
You can put a divider in the middle and take it out when they are 4 wks old.That way you can keep the needed heat enclosed.

*If you build small roosts and place them about 6" off the floor that will give you the additional sq. footage you need for that 25th chick.

Now and 8x8 will equal 64 sq. ft. and give you enough room for 128 chicks! FUN!
an 8x5 40 sq. ft. 80 chickies! Ohhh this is fun.... How many should I buy...haha.

You also will want to maybe build a small run to attach to the brooder or maybe find a way to attach it to an existing run. I'm not sure about putting them with an existing flock and 5-6 wks. Will they be the only ones in the coop?

 

[Emma-ly]

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Hi Karen! that is why I just built the 4x8 pen. I didnt want to mess with moving to different totes, containers, boxes and/or pens. It also depends on how soon you can move them out side to their coop/trackor. I planned on keeping mine inside for about 8 weeks or so minimal, weather permiting. by then I figured they would be out growing my pen anyways. good luck!

1/2 sq. ft. per chick ages 1-4 wks and 1 sq. ft. per chick 4-8 wks. If you buy something big enough for the older chick you can alway insert a dividing wall to enclose the heat for when they are really little (1-4) then remove it when they are ready. I don't know which size tote gallon wise but look at the dimensions. If its possible try to build them some roosts and place 5-6" off the floor of brooder. Good luck!

 

[kichohana]

My brooder has a divider to remove as the chicks get bigger. While small I can use the alternate side while i'm cleaning the one they're living in. I can then move the divider to make the brooder larger, and then remove it altogether.

Check out more pictures on the brooder images thread.

 

[smithhouse]

Garden tub! I like that! Could I successfully brood 4 or 5 chicks in the garden tub all the way up to 8 weeks or so before putting them out in the coop?

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[cmom]

I agree...
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I have a brooder coop for my chicks.

 

[haTHOR]

just found a brooder tub that is 41.81x21.81 (18" tall). i get 955.5 inches. i divide that by 24" (per chick) and it looks like i could put about 40 chicks in there.

i don't need that...i only have 24.

but did i do the math right? it doesn't seem right, at all.

 

[JPinVT]

Quote:
Your problem with the math there is that a square foot is 12x12 = 144, not 12+12 = 24. So you can actually only fit 6 or so chicks in there at 1sq ft each.

My brooder was 2' high plywood nailed in a box to be 4'x4'. I have 24 chicks in there at nearly 4 weeks... and they need more room now, so thankfully they're going into their coop this weekend. But it worked well for the first 2-3 weeks, and really it's not that bad right now. It's not like they're fighting, there's no smells or anything, but they just look like need more room to run and play. Oh also, at 2' high, they were roosting on the edges of the brooder by the end of 2 weeks, so you'd need a lid (or smart chicks with good balance who know to stay on the inside!)

 

[DTRM30]

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Isn't geometry great ? Yes, 6 sq inches is 1/4 square foot.

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[Brynansmommie]

Sounds about right. Especially when they are small. Mine slept in a pile the first week.