Stinky brooder!

[FiddleChics]

I also have our ten, 3 week old chicks inside the house and super sensitive to smelliness as well; plus - we love to spend time with the little peeps - but who would ever want to sit in a stinky zone? So I change the chips every other day; their water 3/4 x a day - & I wipe up as many drippings - as i can as I go along... BUT...
But I've found (and I do this with my laying hens as well) I feed them garlic (either cloves, crushed & placed in their water holder; or crushed garlic (or powder) into their hot mash - at least 3x a week.
It's got SOOO many wonderful benefits for them - but one that hits this nail on the head is - garlic reduces the sulphur content in chicken's droppings… which means the coop/brooder & run - will smell better (or less bad)! I've always used garlic, and been fortunate that my coop really don't smell - even remotely! I'm diligent with picking up poop if I see it... but in-between, there's really nothing offensive. I also use lavender, vanilla, peppermint & lemon grass oil - and put a few drops, inside the coop - and the smell of the oils repels/reduces flies, and makes everything smell wonderful for me too! Good luck, hope this helps! (Garlic is also an immune booster, and I love having healthy chicks!)
A reference for the garlic: https://poultrykeeper.com/health-suppliments/garlic-for-chickens/

 

[TKGray5711]

Are you feeding anything other than chick crumbles? As for cleaning out the brooder,
for the first week, I cleaned it out once, then every day by 2 weeks, and by 3 weeks of age, I was changing bedding 2X a day! I weaned mine off heat by 4 weeks and moved them out to coop at 5 weeks, lows in the 30's, no heat, they were fine. Now they're 2+months old and have been thru several spring freezes. I wish winter were over, but they can take it, they have down jackets!

I know this is an old post, but hoping you can walk me through how you weaned them! I've got 3, 3 week old chicks. I want to move them out soon. They'll be seperate from our older girls still.

My first batch I moved outside around 3 weeks also, but it the low Temps were like 70-80°, so I wasn't worried. But now, lows are 45°.

Right now they only have a heating pad/plate in their brooder. What's the next step for moving them out?

 

[Folly's place]

Mine move to a separate coop area at three weeks, with their heat plate, and it's fine. A hardware cloth wall separates them from the flock, so everyone has some contact for the two weeks they still use the heat plate. then, they can go outside without the adults for a couple of days, before all the doors are opened and they free range at the same time. The youngsters go back to their safe space at night and are closed in there for the night for a couple more weeks, before everything is opened up in the coop all the time.
Mary

 

[Stephine]

Mine move to a separate coop area at three weeks, with their heat plate, and it's fine. A hardware cloth wall separates them from the flock, so everyone has some contact for the two weeks they still use the heat plate. then, they can go outside without the adults for a couple of days, before all the doors are opened and they free range at the same time. The youngsters go back to their safe space at night and are closed in there for the night for a couple more weeks, before everything is opened up in the coop all the time.
Mary

Mary, do you have pictures of your setup? Sounds so practical!

 

[Folly's place]

It's evolved over decades, and works well. I'll try for pictures later...