How long in the brooder

[littleledgefarm]

I bought 6 chicks from TSC on March 13th. They are almost 2 weeks old,and I have noticed that they are starting to grow feathers and jump and flap around. How long should they be kept in the brooder before they need to be moved to either a larger brooder or to a pen, keep in mind I still have snow on the ground and putting them outside is not an option for another month or so.

 

[achickschirp]

About 6-8 weeks depending on the breed or until they are fully feathered

 

[cafarmgirl]

Mine start going outside during the day for a few hours at 3 weeks old and move into their coop at 5 weeks old. At that point I let them out in their run as weather permits. I raise 6 to 8 at a time in a 2' x 4' brooder. They'd never make in there for even 8 weeks. Even by 5 weeks they are bored and wanting more room but mostly they love to get outside and be busy. If you are not able to put yours outside for another month or more then you will likely need a larger brooder or some kind of pen to put them in.