How to build perches for baby chicks?

[Ridgerunner]

I did not address these and I did not notice they were already 3 weeks old.

Hi, I'm getting seven Easter egger chicks in two days and I need to make some perches for them. These chicks are three weeks old so I believe they will already be perching or will want to soon.

You don't need to. You don't have to. Their long term development will not be affected by not having perches available when chicks. There have been times I did not put any perches in the brooder, those still grew up to be chickens. I did not see any behavioral problems in the brooder without a perch. Some of them like to play on a perch during the day, usually they don't try to roost up there at night, but it is a nice to have, not a need.

How do I go about making perches for three week old baby chicks? What height should they be? How much should I raise them as they get older? Thanks.

They don't care. They can be just as happy up a few inches as up a few feet. You usually don't have room in your brooder to put them very high anyway. If they don't have any older chickens many people brood their chicks in the coop to start with. The main roosts are available as perches. Some people have main roosts pretty low, just a foot or two. Some of us have the roosts up four or five feet. If they want to, pretty young chicks can fly up there, even to the higher perches. Unless you have chicks that can't fly like Silkies, your three week olds should be able to fly up five feet if they want to. A lot of times they don't want to but don't be shocked to see a chick perched on the top of your brooder wall or out roaming around. Some may want to perch on your brooder walls and who knows which side they'll hop down on.

 

[ohnoicantfly]

Wow, 4 weeks in a brooder, for 3-week-olds? Why so long? Yes they will jump/fly out if the brooder doesn't have a top, even without perches, and with perches it's pretty much guaranteed. They'll need to be outside and will try their best to get out - fly out, break out, eat their way out. Last year was the longest I kept chicks in a brooder - 5 weeks - and they ate through the cardboard box they were in, trying to get out! It was a chest freezer box, for 5 chicks, so it wasn't small, but they looked comically inadequate in there - big, rowdy, loud, smelly and desperate to get out. 7 weeks is just too much. If you don't have any seriously compelling reason to keep them in a brooder that long, don't.

Wow. So I could put them in the coop sooner? I thought I had to wait until they were older because of temperature, feed, etc.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Wow. So I could put them in the coop sooner? I thought I had to wait until they were older because of temperature, feed, etc.

What are your lowest expected temperatures for the next week? I've had chicks less than 6 weeks old go through nights in the mid 20's Fahrenheit (-4 C) with no heat. In Canada I don't want to jump to conclusions.

What is the concern with feed? I don't understand that one. Do you have adults in the coop? What other concerns do you have?

 

[K0k0shka]

Wow. So I could put them in the coop sooner? I thought I had to wait until they were older because of temperature, feed, etc.

You can brood straight in the coop from day one if you have a heat source, they really don't have to be in the house. And after they are feathered out, they don't need the heat source anymore, especially now that it's summer and it's warm. May not be as warm up there in Canada, so it will depend on how feathered out they are and whether you want to add something for them to keep warm out in the coop, like a brooder plate or even just a huddle box. Or you can brood them indoors for an extra week or two, but I wouldn't go past 5 weeks total. At 5 weeks old they'll be feathered out and ready to take on the world. They don't necessarily need chick food either. You can feed your whole flock a flock raiser type of feed, which is intended for a mixed flock of different ages. Just provide calcium on the side for the layers (crushed eggshell or oyster shell). That's a lot easier than dealing with different feeds and who ate what and stole from what.

 

[Luvmylars]

You can brood straight in the coop from day one if you have a heat source, they really don't have to be in the house. And after they are feathered out, they don't need the heat source anymore, especially now that it's summer and it's warm. May not be as warm up there in Canada, so it will depend on how feathered out they are and whether you want to add something for them to keep warm out in the coop, like a brooder plate or even just a huddle box. Or you can brood them indoors for an extra week or two, but I wouldn't go past 5 weeks total. At 5 weeks old they'll be feathered out and ready to take on the world. They don't necessarily need chick food either. You can feed your whole flock a flock raiser type of feed, which is intended for a mixed flock of different ages. Just provide calcium on the side for the layers (crushed eggshell or oyster shell). That's a lot easier than dealing with different feeds and who ate what and stole from what.

My only concern with not using chick feed is coccidia, which my latest chicks got. I lost 4 to it before I realized the mistake I had made. Unless you have healthy adults whose poop you can share with the chicks, they need medicated chick feed for a bit. I was planning to do that, but then my hen got sick. I took too long to get them medicated feed. Lesson learned here the hard way.
If y'all know of some other way to prevent coccidia in chicks, please do tell! I am all ears!

 

[K0k0shka]

My only concern with not using chick feed is coccidia, which my latest chicks got. I lost 4 to it before I realized the mistake I had made. Unless you have healthy adults whose poop you can share with the chicks, they need medicated chick feed for a bit. I was planning to do that, but then my hen got sick. I took too long to get them medicated feed. Lesson learned here the hard way.
If y'all know of some other way to prevent coccidia in chicks, please do tell! I am all ears!

Of course, medicated feed is the best way but these chicks are 3 weeks old, and don’t need it anymore. Just like they don’t necessarily need a brooder. The best and easiest way to feed when you have chicks with the flock (and want to avoid separate feeds and feeders) is to put the whole flock on medicated starter for the first 2-3 weeks (or until they finish the bag), then switch everybody to flock raiser. My quote from above takes into account that the chicks are already 3 weeks old and don’t need it anymore if they’ve been eating it up until this point. Though it doesn’t hurt to still use it, in case they’ve had unmedicated so far. The rest of the flock will be fine with it, and their eggs won’t be affected.

 

[RoyalChick]

Just to reiterate what others have said, at 3 weeks they will be flying and exploring. Mine were all over the place at that age. One made it to the 4’ adult roost and was craning her neck up examining the rafters which must be over 8’ up. Thankfully she decided it was more than she could handle but it was clearly a close call!

 

[rosemarythyme]

If y'all know of some other way to prevent coccidia in chicks, please do tell! I am all ears!

You don't "need" medicated chick feed but you do need to be ready to treat for coccidiosis if it becomes an issue. I've never used medicated feed but I have Corid available if I have young birds, just in case it's needed.

I had to treat for coccidiosis in my first batch of chicks - they were brooded indoors and picked up coccidiosis once they moved outside. All the chicks survived thanks to the Corid treatment. Subsequent batches have been raised outside on the run floor, so they're getting a little exposure to everything outside from the start.

 

[ohnoicantfly]

What are your lowest expected temperatures for the next week? I've had chicks less than 6 weeks old go through nights in the mid 20's Fahrenheit (-4 C) with no heat. In Canada I don't want to jump to conclusions.

What is the concern with feed? I don't understand that one. Do you have adults in the coop? What other concerns do you have?

The temperatures for the next week will be ranging from around 75-90 degrees. The night temps are supposed to be between 59-64 degrees. Should I put the chicks in the coop with a heat lamp and just turn the lamp on at night?

I had heard that the calcium in layer feed was too high for chicks and protein, too low. What would I do with their feed if I put the chicks in the coop now?

 

[Ridgerunner]

The temperatures for the next week will be ranging from around 75-90 degrees. The night temps are supposed to be between 59-64 degrees. Should I put the chicks in the coop with a heat lamp and just turn the lamp on at night?

At 3-1/2 weeks old they will probably be OK at those temperatures but if you can put that lamp in there safely so they have the option it won't hurt anything. Do not use that clamp that came with the light. Instead attach the lamp with chain or wire so it cannot fall. That removes most of the risk of having that lamp out there.

I had heard that the calcium in layer feed was too high for chicks and protein, too low. What would I do with their feed if I put the chicks in the coop now?

Do you have older chickens out there? If you do you have integration to consider. That complicates it.

Studies have shown that growing chicks that eat nothing but Layer can have problems with the calcium, so it is a good idea to avoid it. You can get different opinions on how much protein they actually need at that age and beyond. The way many of us handle feeding chicks and laying hens at the same time is to offer them all the same low calcium feed and offer oyster shells on the side. That way the ones that need the calcium for egg shells can eat it and do. The others don't eat enough to harm themselves.