Is this true?

[Vamvakas]

Well I have 46 great chicks almost 4 weeks old chicks that I have in a 4ft by 4ft brooder... It's starting to get abit crowded in the brooder and my dad tells me to move the chicks in a few days down to the coop outside with no lamp for more room..

He says if they stay to long in brooder then they will not grow right and will be smaller then the average chicken cause of the tight space so they must go outside in bigger space.

Is this true? The more space the faster chickens grow?

 

[CariLynn]

I don't know about not growing as big, but they are awfully crowded if that is how many you have in such a small space. Over crowding can lead to them pecking one another, smothering, plucking, etc....so you may want to find something a lot bigger for them to have a wee bit more room before problems arise.

 

[ChickDaze]

Really, you do. The poop must be awful, but your comfort in cleaning isn't the only thing; if you got any roosters ( and you probobly have some), they are going to gently peck and mess with each other in a normal space requirement. Confinement, can't go too well. Get a bigger area, or move them into the coop with a heat lamp at night, just in case. They aren't fully fletched, and the nights are going to be cooler than your house. I accidently put my chicks out at three weeks because I didn't know their exact age. The heat lamp kept them safe enough.