Pros and cons for brooding chicks in a coop

[Red_Akers]

Trying to decide if we should move our (just shy of ) 3 week old chicks outside to the coop for brooding. They are growing so fast!! Pros and cons of this?? Thanks!

 

[NatJ]

If your coop is predator proof,
and if you can provide heat when the chicks need it (depending on the temperature at this time of year, they may not need it anymore),
and if you do not have adult chickens in the coop (or have a separate space in the coop for the chicks),
then I see NO cons to moving the chicks out.

Chickens never belong in my living space (house). I have occasionally brooded chicks in the garage or unfinished basement. But I have a strong preference for brooding them outside from the very first.

That is just my opinion. I know that different things work for different people.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I brood my chicks in an outdoor coop of their own from day one. The coop is 8x4, kinda big for a dozenish day old chicks, so for the first couple weeks of their life I will divide the brooder/coop with cardboard so they don't wander too far from heat/food. By 3 weeks I remove the cardboard and they have free reign of the coop. In the colder months like april I use a sweeter heater. It uses a lot of power though so by june 1st I have switched to a smaller heat plate. Rent a coop brand i think.

 

[Blooie]

I’ve brooded outdoors exclusively for almost 8 years now. I do have other adults out there with them, and our springtime “chick season” temps are still in the 20s, dipping into the teens. They wean themselves off Mama Heating Pad between 3 and 4 weeks, and we have total, peaceful integration at 4 weeks. That’s when we remove the brooder pen completely. Never lost a chick to chilling or flock aggression.

i see by another thread that you are new to us! Welcome!

Edited to add: I forgot to answer your question. Oops.
Pros: No mess, noise, or smells in the house.
No need to transition to successively larger brooders and no
transition shock when they finally go out.
Strong, calm, confident chicks that feather out quickly.
Natural day/night cycles

Cons: Um……er…….well…….aah…….nope. Nothing coming to mind.

 

[Rangergord]

I brooded my Black Sex Links by themselves in the outdoor coop. It was a late cold spring and I used an Ohio style brooder. I did not want to brood in my house. After I saw how dusty they were after two weeks, I was really glad they were not in my house. I am glad I did not order in the chicks any earlier this spring because it was so cold I would have been forced to brood in my house. It’s summer now so no reason to not use the coop if it’s not otherwise occupied.

 

[Red_Akers]

We are in Massachusetts, and currently there is a heat wave so we were thinking of moving them after the worst of this is over and it goes back into the 80's. We figured no heat would be necessary since it doesn't drop too low at night.

 

[Red_Akers]

Trying to decide if we should move our (just shy of ) 3 week old chicks outside to the coop for brooding. They are growing so fast!! Pros and cons of this?? Thanks!

also, if we move 3 week old chicks outside to the coop for a brooder, is high 80's too hot for them during the day. It usually only drops to mid 70's -low 80's at night now. We do have shade...and the coop would be large enough for the 6 girls.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Well I have moved all my chicks out side on the third week in face I have a coop sitting right by the big one so that the older hens can watch them the by 12 week they are all integrated as one flock I think it works well! But the first 2 week I would not have them outside 24/7 just because they so tiny and vulnerable plus i have dogs and and guinea pigs and all the things that i like to expose to them in the first two weeks but it's all honestly what works best for you

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some of this depends on how you are brooding them inside your house and what the coop looks like. Yours are already three weeks old. That doesn't change much but temperatures aren't as big of a concern.

1. Chicks and chickens make dust. The generate dander, which is small bits of dried skin and bits of down or feathers. Their scratching in the brooder creates dust from them shredding the bedding and scratching dried up poop. If they are outside you are not breathing that and it's not coating the inside of your house.

2. The brooder has the potential to stink if it gets wet and depending on how often you clean it. If they are outside you may not have to work that hard to manage it. This is one of those depends.

3. Chicks can be loud, especially when you walk by them. Some people like that, some don't. Another depends.

4. Outside you have to deal with temperature swings. I've seen it go from below freezing to the mid 70's Fahrenheit in not much more than overnight. To me, a brooder needs a spot warm enough in the coldest conditions and a spot cool enough in the warmest conditions. This is easier to manage if you are in a climate-controlled area like the inside of your house than outside with these temperartu4e swings. At three weeks and with your temperatures this is not a big issue. In colder weather and with chicks straight from the incubator this might be more important.

5. Chicks outside in these temperature swings harden off faster and tend to feather out faster. I think they are probably healthier because of this.

6. If you want lap chickens they are usually easier to tame if you have them in your house. You have to make an effort to go out to work at taming them.

7. They probably have more room in the coop than in the brooder. This is another depends, it depends on how big your brooder is. I find the less room they have the more behavioral problems I have to deal with. They grow fast, your brooder can get small in a hurry.

also, if we move 3 week old chicks outside to the coop for a brooder, is high 80's too hot for them during the day. It usually only drops to mid 70's -low 80's at night now. We do have shade...and the coop would be large enough for the 6 girls.

No, not too hot. Broody hens raise chicks when it is in the 90's F. Adult chickens live outside when it is in the 90's F. They need shade, ventilation, and clean water. They absolutely do not need heat during the day and won't at night either. Don't add extra heat to the coop.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I brood everyone outside in a brooder pen/room my husband and I built in our barn with a brooder plate for heat.

Pros:

1. Everyone weans off of the heat plate around 3-4 weeks and feather out early. If it's hot I don't even bother turning it on.

2. This last batch at 4 weeks I opened the door and they integrated seemlessly with my flock no picking, bullying, nothing.

3. I put a tray of dirt in the brooder room from day one, they throw it everywhere, play in it, I don't have to worry about the dirt making a mess and I haven't had any issues with coccidiosis (everyone is fed all flock so no amprolium in feed either).

4. Everyone has much more space out there than they would in a tub inside.

5. Easier to clean outside. The brooder room is 10x10, I put a good 6" of bedding in there, everyday I stir it up and it's good to go. I usually don't bother changing it out until 4 weeks when I let them out with the others and there isn't any smell or poop piling up.

6. Everyone is strong and healthy.

Cons:

1. If you like to watch them 24/7 like a mom hovering over a newborn's crib...brooding outside is probably not ideal unless you enjoy sleeping on a cot outside.