Possible Outdoor Places To Raise Chicks???

AvocadoAbi

Songster
Jul 3, 2021
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Hi y'all!
I have a question about raising chicks:
I'm going to be brooding chicks soon, but is it possible to raise chicks outside somewhere???
The fam doesn't want the odor in the house so I'm trying to figure out alternatives to raising them indoors.
Would love any advice on this! 🙃
 
Hi y'all!
I have a question about raising chicks:
I'm going to be brooding chicks soon, but is it possible to raise chicks outside somewhere???
The fam doesn't want the odor in the house so I'm trying to figure out alternatives to raising them indoors.
Would love any advice on this! 🙃
Do you have a coop now? How large?
Many people brood directly in the coop with a brooder plate or momma heating pad. It enables integration to begin between 4-5 weeks.
 
Hi y'all!
I have a question about raising chicks:
I'm going to be brooding chicks soon, but is it possible to raise chicks outside somewhere???
The fam doesn't want the odor in the house so I'm trying to figure out alternatives to raising them indoors.
Would love any advice on this! 🙃
I have my chicks in an outdoor brooder that I converted from a chinchilla cage.
It is 3‘ x 2‘. It is double decker, so right now using the bottom half for storage but if I had more chicks I could convert this to an additional brooder space. It has a stainless steel pan that I put either puppy pads or shavings when they get older. I put plastic sheets on two sides so they could still see out of it, but protects them from drafts and the two sides that are against the house are covered with cardboard. It is quite protected from the wind and elements on a covered patio. I use one of the electric brooder plates for heat. It does require you have an electric outlet somewhere outside. They are in the house for the first week and then I move them out there. I cover them up at night with a blanket.😊
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I have my chicks in an outdoor brooder that I converted from a chinchilla cage.
It is 3‘ x 2‘. It is double decker, so right now using the bottom half for storage but if I had more chicks I could convert this to an additional brooder space. It has a stainless steel pan that I put either puppy pads or shavings when they get older. I put plastic sheets on two sides so they could still see out of it, but protects them from drafts and the two sides that are against the house are covered with cardboard. It is quite protected from the wind on a covered patio. I use one of the electric brooder plates for heat. It does require you have an electric outlet somewhere outside. They are in the house for the first week and then I move them out there. I cover them up at night with a blanket.😊
View attachment 2882749View attachment 2882750
Wow this is a pretty awesome idea! Thanks for sharing this!!! ☺️
 
I'm going to be brooding chicks soon, but is it possible to raise chicks outside somewhere???

Yes, chicks can be raised somewhere outside your house.

The chicks need the right conditions:
--safe from predators
--protection from weather (sun, rain, snow, heavy wind)
--correct temperature
--food & water

As long as they have the right conditions, the chicks do not care whether they are in a dog crate inside the chicken coop, or in a cardboard box in the garage, or a wire-mesh pen with tarp to keep the weather out, or whatever else you come up with.

For temperature, you should typically provide a place that is 90 to 95 degrees fahrenheit at first, but you also need a cooler place. The chicks will move around to stay comfortable. You probably don't want their water freezing into ice, but any temperature warmer than that will be fine for the "cool" part of their space. The warm space needs to be big enough for all the chicks to cuddle in at once. The cool space should be all the rest of their area, so they can run and play and eat and drink and then go warm up again.
 
I have a coop that holds up to 8 chickens but I only have 4 right now.
How do you suggest I go about using a brooder plate or heating pad?
Whenever I read comments along the lines of "I have a coop that holds up to 8 chickens", I think "pre-fab". Can you please post pictures of the coop?
 
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I think chicks are healthier outside in bigger spaces than inside. They get more fresh air, and more exercise. Mine start in the garage, for about a week to 10 days. Then I move them to the coop/ run.

I don't have electricity there, but I do provide good wind protection in the run, and a well insulated, box with a close ceiling that is insulated. I call it a woolly hen. Truthfully, chicks produce a lot of heat. If you can keep that heat around them, they will do fine.

Mrs K
 
Where, in general, are you located? It's going to matter a lot whether you're dealing with autumn's falling temperatures or spring's rising temperatures. :)

This is my outdoor brooder: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/run-to-outdoor-brooder-conversion.76634/

Whenever I read comments along the lines of "I have a coop that holds up to 8 chickens", I think "pre-fab". Can you please post pictures of the coop?

I have to agree with this. You might note that my brooder, at 4x8, is bigger than the entire coop-and-run combo of many prefabs. As a permanent coop it would hold 8 adult birds. :)

The best recommendations I've found for space in the brooder are: 1/2 square foot per chick for the first 2 weeks, 1 square foot per chick from 2-4 weeks, 2 square feet up to 8 weeks, and then the same 4 square feet per bird that you give adults in their coop.
 

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