I am tired of them being in the house.

[cointoss]

Yes, the dust gets crazy -- that's why this year I decided to wait until mid-May to recieve my chicks here in CT and I'l be moving them out to the coop (which is super warm and cozy with a heat lamp) within a week or two -- just like the farm I bought my first flock from had it set up. His babies even had access to outside. Mine won't that young, no worried

This will be my third time buying babies, they are replacing my old flock from a few years ago. Can't wait!!!

 

[nanawendy]

I use wood pellets or natural feline pine litter it's less dusty and seems to keep the smell down

 

[feather and mountain man]

I almost got them out of the house today. I was getting the brooder out in the building ready and I got a call from the school that my youngest was throwing up. So I had to go get him and he was throwing up all the way home.

So maybe tomorrow. Supposed to get more snow tonight anyway.

 

[rockinpaints]

My husband came in the other day and thought he was in the wrong house cause he didn't see cages full of chickens in the house...

I finally got them big enough for the outside brooder.

 

[CannonChicks]

I see a lot of people suggesting pine shavings for the brooder, but I've also heard that it was bad for the chicks to ingest and that you need to have them on a metal mesh above the shavings.

 

[ChicksterJo]

I've got a wire mesh on the bottom of my chicks' box but they poop so much I have to clean the box everyday. I wish it were spring already so they could enjoy some fresh air!

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

I have had quite a few chicks at one time in the house during the last couple of hatches. We've had a very unusually heavy snow season, and cold. The smell is not bad at all. But I change the paper completely each morning and I change the paper and clean the tote once a week with dawn/warm water. I have put 3 dozen outside about 3 weeks ago. As soon as they are fully feathered I put them outside under a heat lamp even in really cold weather and they are fine. In Spring and Summer, as long as they don't get wet, they are put outside within a few days or a week. I probably had 10 chicks in each large tote, maybe 13. Oh, and I rinsed out the water containers daily with hot water and also made sure the feed containers were clean of any poopies on the sides.

 

[journey11]

My hubby won't tolerate Cornish X chicks in the house, although layer chicks don't stink so bad and I can get away with having them in for a little while. I usually take mine out to the garage and just make an extra tall cardboard brooder ring. The heat lamp seems to be enough.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Wow. That's a new one to me.

Every single batch o' chicks I've raised has been on pine shavings in the brooder(s). I use the "deep litter" method even in the brooder and don't clean the things out completely for 8 weeks. I just remove the wet stuff by the waterer and keep adding more shavings. If there is a particularly wet poop, I toss a handful of shavings on it. Of course, this is if I happen to be by the brooder when that happens... And every couple of days I just add a few more hands full of shavings as a matter of course.

It means I have to keep putting something taller under the waterer and feeder as the litter gets higher, but that's not so tough.

The pine shavings are absorbent and will desiccate the moisture from the wet poops. The chicks will keep the pine shavings stirred up enough by their actions. When the chicks go outside full time, I dump the whole bin of used shavings into the compost bin.

There is very little odor. Wet litter makes it smell.

The dust comes not so much from the pine shavings as it does from the chicks themselves, as their feathers shed their sheaths and bits of feathers themselves are shed.

Noise? It should be happy little chicky sounds unless there's a problem.

 

[Wild Trapper]

DW forbids me to raise chicks in the house.

I want very much to put some eggs in the incubator but will have to wait for spring.