To many biddies

[7L Farm]

For the brooder that is I'm using a horse trough & have 30 chicks in it. The temp. is in the 70's during the day can I move them to the coop & let them out during the day. Chicks are one week old. I wanna put the brooder in the coop as well. At night I can move them into the brooder with a heat lamp. I do have another brooder & I can split them up & leave them in the shed till they get older. The coop is bullet proof.

The coop is three sided & 330 sq. feet.

 

[Judy]

Nothing wrong with brooding chicks in the coop from day 1, or letting them choose whether to seek out the heat or run around. Of course there could be a problem if there are older chickens in the coop already.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
No. The plan was to hatch my own eggs & raise them in this coop. Iddy biddies are gonna freak out in their new home. Might be awhile before they can use the roost though especially this one.

LOL

 

[Judy]

Oh, they will love it!

Our climated are no doubt much the same, so let me tell you about my chicks. They were hatched in the coop by a broody last month, my coop is quite breezy, they never had heat, and they have been outdoors since their first week. Except for the first few days, I have never seen them get under mama to get warm, except at night. The week they hatched we were in a cold snap, teens at night and 50 during the day if you were lucky. So don't be surprised if they ignore your heat lamp during the day and spend their days exploring!

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
They will have a lot of room to explore. There's a cold front coming but nothing serious. They just ball up to stay warm. Their gonna look funny in this giant coop. Look like little ants.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
You should REALLY make another thread in a few days with a pic showing the little ants running around that space. Might encourage people to get their chicks outdoors, where they love to be, a bit more. Maybe put something in the run for size comparison, so it's easy to see how small they are. I know I'd look at the thread!

You could put the horse trough in the coop as a wind break and the heat on the coop side of it, too.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
You should REALLY make another thread in a few days with a pic showing the little ants running around that space. Might encourage people to get their chicks outdoors, where they love to be, a bit more. Maybe put something in the run for size comparison, so it's easy to see how small they are. I know I'd look at the thread!

You could put the horse trough in the coop as a wind break and the heat on the coop side of it, too.

Ddawn I did what you suggested. FYI I also talked to a vet. about my pecking problem he specializes in birds the vet said just leave them alone they might stop are they might not. He suggested to me not to give them any treats because he said the laying pellets have all the nutrients they need. So, I have quit the treats & they free range everyday now. The vet did say I could give them greens though. I think once the grass hoppers show up I'll be good .Will see .