keeping chicks in brooder

[meowteri2]

How long could I keep 3 chicks in a brooder. The floor space is 24"x48". It is 24" high. It was used for a reptile.
It has a plastic laminate bottom with melamine sides and top with a glass front. I have 3 adults in the coop and
was wondering if I could keep them in there until they are big enough to be safe with adults.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Are they bantams or large fowl?

You've got about eight square feet in your brooder. For bantams you might could keep them in there long enough to get them to mature size with careful management. For large fowl you're going to start running out of room at around six to eight weeks. Overcrowding is a form of stress and it can result in a number of bad behaviors such as feather picking and cannibalism.

If you can get double the square footage you could probably keep large fowl to mature size if they're fairly docile breeds.