How Long Can Chicks stay in The Brooder?

[MaconMommy5]

So I went to the store and ACCIDENTALLY came out wih more than just the Brooder Light that I went in for. I have eggs going in the incubator this weekend. It's really cold out still and Probably will be for a little more than a month. How Long can I keep the chicks in the brooder? Also, Could I add the upcoming hatch to the chicks already In there now?

 

[dpsoffgrid]

As long as there's room, quite a while. How old are the chicks your putting with chicks? I'll take day olds and put them with week olds and keep doing that every week for about a month. So will have month old with day olds and no issues but they have always been raised with younger chicks, so their used to it.

 

[MaconMommy5]

As long as there's room, quite a while. How old are the chicks your putting with chicks? I'll take day olds and put them with week olds and keep doing that every week for about a month. So will have month old with day olds and no issues but they have always been raised with younger chicks, so their used to it.

They'd be three weeks old when the new ones hatch. And the brooder we have set up is quite huge. Maybe more so than needed. I had to set up two lights, water sources and everything else. Lol.

 

[dpsoffgrid]

Three weeks might be a bit old to put day olds with. You could partition off and put some on one side and some on the other to get used to each then see how they do.

 

[MaconMommy5]

Three weeks might be a bit old to put day olds with. You could partition off and put some on one side and some on the other to get used to each then see how they do.

That's a good idea. I'll probably just do that. Give them time to warm up to each other.

 

[lutherpug]

So I went to the store and ACCIDENTALLY came out wih more than just the Brooder Light that I went in for. I have eggs going in the incubator this weekend. It's really cold out still and Probably will be for a little more than a month. How Long can I keep the chicks in the brooder? Also, Could I add the upcoming hatch to the chicks already In there now?

Are you eventually adding these chicks to an existing flock or are they going into an empty coop? What are you planning to do for heat?

I don't know where your brooder is and I've only raised 2 batches of chicks but I know that I don't want them in the house past 4-5 weeks if I can avoid it. My next batch will be raised in the coop from the beginning. I haven't done this yet but there is a lot of information on this forum on that particular subject. My last group of chicks arrived at the end of November and I had them in the coop by January in temps down to below zero with a heating plate and they did great. I removed all heat after 6-8 weeks and they've been completely fine.

Why do you want to keep them in the brooder? To keep them warm or to keep them safe from other chickens?

 

[MaconMommy5]

Are you eventually adding these chicks to an existing flock or are they going into an empty coop? What are you planning to do for heat?

I don't know where your brooder is and I've only raised 2 batches of chicks but I know that I don't want them in the house past 4-5 weeks if I can avoid it. My next batch will be raised in the coop from the beginning. I haven't done this yet but there is a lot of information on this forum on that particular subject. My last group of chicks arrived at the end of November and I had them in the coop by January in temps down to below zero with a heating plate and they did great. I removed all heat after 6-8 weeks and they've been completely fine.

Why do you want to keep them in the brooder? To keep them warm or to keep them safe from other chickens?

The coop Is having some modifications before we can add them. They'll be going in an empty coop once it's done. It's getting below freezing here at night and the ones in the brooder now are only 1-2 days old. So I'm hoping to keep them in there for about 3ish weeks until the coop is complete. That will also be right when my new hicks start hatching.

 

[lutherpug]

The coop Is having some modifications before we can add them. They'll be going in an empty coop once it's done. It's getting below freezing here at night and the ones in the brooder now are only 1-2 days old. So I'm hoping to keep them in there for about 3ish weeks until the coop is complete. That will also be right when my new hicks start hatching.

I'd suggest you read the "Mama Heating Pad" thread on the forum-it's VERY long but you can get the gist of it pretty quickly! Without knowing the details of your setup...

You may very well be able to put your 3-4 week olds in the coop along with your hatchlings and just create a separate area for them. I'm sure someone more experienced than I will come along and tell you how to better do this but in my limited experience I don't see why this couldn't work. I'm in the middle of my 1st integration of chickens of different ages and my observation is this-younger pullets aren't nearly as concerned with who is in their space as birds who have reached sexual maturity. Not to say that 1 day olds should be with 3 week olds (maybe that's ok, I honestly don't know) but I suspect that 2 week olds could be with 5 week olds without a lot of drama provided they have enough space.

Good luck however you proceed and congrats on your new chickens