Size of brooder and time in brooder..HELP!

[doIreallylikeeggsthismuch]

I have 20 chicks that are two weeks old. They are growing like CRAZY!!! I have them in a large water trough about 48" by 26". I am first wondering how long do you keep them in the brooder. I am as well wondering how much space they need at this age. It appears OK at this time but I am wondering how long I have till my coop needs to be finished or should I try and find another brooder?

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
I use stock tanks as brooders too and they usually stay there until 4-5 weeks. After that they go out into a 4x4 dog kennel with a rabbit hutch "coop" that I use as a grow out pen. I move them into a larger (7x13) kennel/hutch set up out by the big girls when they are around 8-10 weeks old and no longer need a heat lamp and then integrate them with the main flock at around 12 weeks old. I usually have between 15-24 chicks at a time, so pretty close to what you are doing.

 

[goldnchocolate]

When my chicks outgrew their first brooder I made it bigger one by attaching another cardboard box to it and cutting the wall between them. When they outgrew that one I made a separate growing coop, right next to the older chickens, until they were big enough to join the others.

Here is a picture of the first brooder but I added the other box onto one end. It worked great! Duct tape and zip ties are your friends

 

[felidaet]

I used a water trough like you last year. I kept 18 chicks in it until the youngest were about 5 weeks old. They were getting crowded but there were no problems such as pecking.

This year I built a new wood brooder that is much larger. It is 3' x 7'. I have 22 chicks in it.

 

[mamakelly]

goldnchocolate what did you use on the bottom of that box to control poop?