Outgrowing baby brooder?

[Thepriceofbeauty]

Hey guys I've got 4, 3 week old chicks here. The girls seem just fine and happy in their little brooder, but I am assuming they will outgrow this setup before I can move them outside. At what point, do you guys think they will be too big for their baby brooder?

I'd also like some ideas (or pics) of where to outfit them before they can safely go outside. We are in the process of building them a nice coop in the backyard 4ftx 6ft, but our temperatures here in Colorado are still below freezing at night.

Any ideas are most welcome, and thanks in advance!

 

[lazy gardener]

By the time they are 3 weeks old, they should have 2 s.f. per chick. I see a safety concern with your set up. Those birds have good flight feathers, and I'm surprised you have not yet had at least one of them end up stuck in the corner between corner edge of the tub and corner of the dog crate. If brooding in the house, they can be off heat by 3 weeks of age. Perhaps you could set them up with an appliance box to give them more room?

My chicks are brooded outdoors with MHP, in the spring. Starting in the first week with temps 20's to 40's. By the time they are 4 - 5 weeks old, they have weaned themselves off heat with night time lows being in the 30's.

 

[Thepriceofbeauty]

By the time they are 3 weeks old, they should have 2 s.f. per chick. I see a safety concern with your set up. Those birds have good flight feathers, and I'm surprised you have not yet had at least one of them end up stuck in the corner between corner edge of the tub and corner of the dog crate. If brooding in the house, they can be off heat by 3 weeks of age. Perhaps you could set them up with an appliance box to give them more room?

My chicks are brooded outdoors with MHP, in the spring. Starting in the first week with temps 20's to 40's. By the time they are 4 - 5 weeks old, they have weaned themselves off heat with night time lows being in the 30's.

Yes I was worried about them starting to fly up into onto the sides, but haven't noticed any escape attempts yet. Definitely want to get this sorted soon, before it does. I currently have two large boxes that I was going to tape together, and put on top of a tarp in the basement, with chicken wire over top, but feel like that particular setup may be a little harder to keep clean

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Maybe put the tarp inside the boxes to provide a wetness barrier?

 

[lazy gardener]

I had shipped chicks last spring, and gave them a bit of time in the garage under our house before moving them to their outdoor coop. I laid some cardboard down on the floor for insulation, covered it with a piece of plastic. Set the appliance boxes on top of that, zip tied them together. Put shavings in. Covered it with a patio door screen. Voila. Done! No need to keep cleaning that brooder. Simply top off with a fresh layer of shavings every few days as needed. As long as you keep the water from spilling, you DON'T NEED TO remove old shavings before adding new. As a matter of fact, studies show that chicks have increased viability, decreased illness, improved feed conversion and growth rates by keeping the old litter in the brooder.