Sitting on side of brooder

[pennychaney89]

I am a new chicken owner - i have 3 new chicks and 2(older then the 3rd) prefer to sit on the edge of the brooder. Are they getting too big for the brooder/would prefer to be in a coop??? I'm scared of them going in the coop too early.

 

[azygous]

That's pretty normal behavior for chicks getting enough feathers on their wings to achieve lift-off. As long as the days are mild, around 75F, you could let them go outside in a playpen for some exercise. Give them a protected area ten feet long and watch them achieve low-level flight!

Then bring them back inside when it cools off. I usually carry my chicks outside in a pet crate, then leave it for them to nap in. If you see them huddling in the crate more often than fplaying outside, it's time t bring them back inside.

I usually move my chicks into the coop around five or six weeks.