Question: where do you keep the newly hatched chicks?

[ZuniBee]

Don't know how much longer I'm going to keep them inside....the dust is driving me crazy,

I know what you mean! I put mine from the incubator into a large plastic tote with a heat lamp. They stay there until they get all their feathers...if I can stand the dust that long. Then I put them in a coop outside that is insulated and that has a heat lamp. Seems like I have been hatching constantly. In my nursery coop I have sections with 9 week, 7 week, and 4 week old chicks. In my home office I have the brooder with 2 week olds. The one's outside have done great with temps dropping to low 20's. The coop is actually pretty warm with the heat lamp always on.

But beware, the dust is terrible while you keep them in the house!​

 

[speckledhen]

I have a brooder in the bsmt bathroom and they stay in there for either three or four weeks then they go out into the nursery coop with two heat lamps. They never stay longer than five weeks in the house, no matter what season it is.

 

[fancybanty]

I use plastic totes for newly hatched and move them to plastic kiddie pools with chicken wire when they outgrow the totes. Only problem is you have to buy the pools in the summer or scavenge one from a friend. Even then I am afraid my silkies will outgrow these.

 

[seminolewind]

My last chicks outgrew the box real quick, so I moved them to the spare bathroom tub with shavings and a heatlamp. There was plenty of room, and afterwards, cleanup was a breeze.

 

[Pinenot]

I have mine in a rabbit cage with a heat lamp over the top, in the garage. They do just fine there.

 

[speckledhen]

Mine is an old rabbit cage I bought at an estate sale. We've since redone the hardware wire on it, but here is an old pic of it. As you can imagine, over 15 chicks gets pretty crowded after three or four weeks.

 

[ozark hen]

Quote:
ha, sorry about that.

 

[BantyChickMom]

I have 6 6 to 7 week old (3 are oegb and 3 are mutts) and 2 12 week old silkies in a 2 X 2 X 5 brooder in the laundry room.
The dust is terrible and I know I need to at least get the silkies out but I don't have a good setup for them outside and most of our cold weather comes in January and February and I basically just don't want to throw them out in the cold.
As long as I can deal with it they'll remain in the house.

I also have 3 1 month old buff silkies from SassySilkies, but they are in their own brooder in my son's room.

The only reason I'm not hatching any more right now is because I really don't have any more room in the house, and
I promised DH the bator was put away until after first of the year.

 

[ozark hen]

ok, I get it now. I never kept mine in the house longer than five weeks but that was the first of April!! I think I had best wait till Feb. before I start incubating or else start a little earlier and then move them to a sectioned of part of one of the rooms in the coop. I was concerned about moving them outside at five weeks during the coldest part of winter. I have several inches of pine shavings and I am constantly adding as it gets colder and I fluff it everyday so I imagine they will be fine then. I, too, use those plastic totes with a heat lamp...although we use a 60wt bulb as the reg. heat lamp gets too hot...for our chicks.
I am just wanting to get everyone's opinion and their experience since the bator will be a new adventure. Thank you GUYS and gals.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

My last hatch of shipped eggs did not develop but I threw in two of mine and they both hatched!!...They are in the house at the moment in the laundry room...Looks like they will be there til they feather out well and I can put them in the garage with a heat lamp...fingers crossed...atleast the grandkids like seeing Christmas chicks as much as Easter ones......LOL.....they named them Merry and Christmas!...