How long can my chicks stay in their brooder?

[DebB11]

FYI...I am a chicken newbie

It's a good sized rubbermaid container....but with 6 chicks and the waterer and feeder I am sure they are going to be CROWDED soon. They are growing SO FAST.

I bought them a week ago at southern states and they are WILD already!!

I am getting nervous cause DH hasn't begun our coop yet but is going to devote as much time as possible this week to it and all weekend as well.

Thanks

 

[smchickfarm]

Congrats on the chicks!

Are they large fowl or bantams? Depending on which they are and how fast they grow, I would say with only 6, you should be able to keep them in there another week or 2.

What size is your container?

 

[DebB11]

Dh was not told they were bantams.....

 

[hickchick55]

We ended up building a new condo for our chicks yesterday. No way they are going to be able to stay in that tote until the coop is finished, it is still winter here. Maybe you can set up some temporary digs that will give them more room. Good luck.

 

[hennyannie]

I get a larger brooder area every year and I dont seem to have enough room ever. I am thinking of converting my entire building into a brooder (18'by24') SHHHH, Dont tell the hubby!

 

[Judy]

There are a number of ways to give them more space til they get a little bigger. Here is a rather long thread about brooders. You will see people make brooders out of all sorts of things, large cardboard boxes or shipping containers such as a refrigerator box, a plastic wading pool, and old dresser without the drawers, a shipping container from a grocery store such as for melons -- anything of the size and shape needed. You could cut the sides off you rubbermaid container, get another, and tape the two together.

With a little inventiveness I'm sure you can find a way to keep them happy til the coop is finished.

Depending on your climate, it will also help to take them outdoors for a while each day and let them peck and scratch on the ground. You can set up a simple pen when it is sunny and not overly windy. They can be in temps a good deal cooler than the brooder temp for a while -- and you can tell whether they are cold easily enough by how they act. If they start piling or huddling they are cold; more likely they will run around all over, which is fine.

 

[Aemelia]

I'm a total newbie.

I have my three tiny chicks in an old large aquarium with a screen top for now. Once mine get too big for that I plan to move them into an old cage style dog kennel we have gathering dust in the basement it's for a medium sized dog and way too big for our small (7lb) dog. I think it should be just right for them until they are ready for the real coop. Do you have anything around you can repurpose?

Kama chick momma to 2 RIR's and 1 Silver Lace Wyandotte

 

[rocky41102]

I never thought of cutting a hole in a rubbermaid container. I have a large wire dog cage I'm using now and I just added a second level this weekend to give my little guys more room. I have too many in there but when I tried to separate them, they all had the biggest fit I've ever heard. Just taking the older ones outside made the youngest cheep bloody murder for the whole time they were gone! So I added more roosts and a second level out of wood so there's more space up there which they seem to enjoy. I might try opening the one end later and adding a rubbermaid container or attaching our other dog cage to it to enlarge it.

I had a large cardboard box I was going to use and would work well but with my cats and dogs, I needed a secure top in place! Might work good for you though! If you have a furniture store around, they sometimes have the large boxes leftover from deliveries or a warehouse store like Sam's club or Costco might have some.

 

[ralleia]

Quote:
If my husband doesn't get moving on that dang '56 Ford shell in the garage, I think I'll turn that thing into a brooder. It's been taking up space for well over a decade! Maybe if I fill it with turkey chicks it'll light a fire under his posterior.

 

[AggieCwgrl]

Complete newbie here

I have 6 babies, 3 white leghorns and 3 RIRs, not sure how old they are, but they are in a crate and we have a coop outside, but my sister in law has her laying hen in there. Would she hurt my chicks? Also, how big should they be before i take them outside or put them in the coop?