Possible Outdoor Places To Raise Chicks???

[AvocadoAbi]

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!

 

[DobieLover]

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.

 

[3KillerBs]

P.S. This is a reason to build any walk-in structure full height: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-reason-to-build-a-full-height-coop-run.1484191/

Hardware cloth and lumber are cheaper than the ER.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have a huge foot stool I got for free, I have flipped upside down, and the under side is all open. I have turned it into a chick brooder. I am hatching out chicks in a few weeks. they will go in a covered insulated store room. Chicks have been breed in this manner in the past.

 

[Mrs. K]

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

 

[3KillerBs]

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.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sure here they are:
View attachment 2883280View attachment 2883282

What are the measurements? Do they stay inside the run all day or do they spend the majority of the time being allowed to free range? I don't see space for 8 chickens in the photos - the recommended minimum is 4 sq ft per bird inside coop, 10 sq ft inside run, 1' on the roost, 1 sq ft of ventilation inside the coop. That's for a docile, standard size flock that gets along.

Integration takes extra space as the new or younger birds need space to allow for clutter to hide from the older ones, and open space to escape from them if chased.

 

[K0k0shka]

That is way way way too small for 8 chickens. I'd say 2 at most, judging by the size of it relative to the size of the feeder and waterer (without having the actual measurements).

Also, if the rooster in your profile picture is yours, and you say you only have 4 birds, that means you have 3 hens to one rooster (assuming you only have one rooster) which is not a good long term ratio for the hens. They'll get over-mated.

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

A porch? A garage? A mother hen..? Keep baby chicken warm. Keep the little fluffers epic.

 

[3KillerBs]

Sure here they are:
View attachment 2883280View attachment 2883282

I'm sorry, but whoever built that coop and told you it was good for 8 chickens lied -- basing their numbers on the legal minimums for commercial birds kept in intensive management.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

8 hens

• 32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
• 8 feet of roost
• 80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
• 8 square feet of ventilation.
• 2-3 nest boxes.

As I noted in my earlier post, my 4x8 brooder would hold 8 birds as a permanent coop. But integrating new birds requires extra space beyond the recommended minimums -- chickens are territorial and resent what they see as strangers invading their space.

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/


Since you're in a warm climate, you should have no problem brooding outdoors after you solve your square footage problem.

All you need is a sheltered area with access to electricity -- a porch or carport might work if you don't want to build a freestanding brooder.