too big for the brooder, too small for the coop.

[mrsruvi]

Hey there! So i have had my ladies for almost a week now. they went from 2.5-3 weeks to 3.5-4 weeks old. Their brooder is a medium sized dog kennel with a heat lamp.

But when i went to let them out this morning (they walk around the yard while i clean up their bedding and change their food and water) one of them flew out of the brooder as soon as i opened it up.

Now thats the first time she's done that, but im worried that their brooder is too small for them now. but they arent big enough to go into their coop yet.

So how small is too small for five girls at 4 weeks old?

 

[mommto3kiddos]

I kept my 6 girls in a large dog kennel brooder till they were six weeks old.. At that time they got wings clipped and moved to the coop!!

Your girls should be fine!!

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I am having the same problem, mine are 3 1/2 weeks old.
Their brooder is getting too small but they are two
small for the coop.

I tried to put them in it yesterday, they looked like specs in the big
coop so I brought them back inside. I guess I will keep them in
their brooder again for another few weeks.

 

[ams3651]

I put mine in the big coop around that age, just partitioned off part of it and used a heat lamp on cool evenings. They were not let out into the run yet, just in the coop.

 

[New2TheCoop]

I am new at this, but I went through the same exact thing! I had my chicks in a medium sized dog kennel. At about 3 weeks they were cramped in there, luckily I have an XL dog kennel and I moved them over. Good luck with your new baby chicks!

 

[mrsruvi]

I think i'll let them stay in the brooder for a few more days, they are growing by leaps and bounds anyway they should be huge by the weekend! (j/k im not deluded but they really do grow fast!). I think coop only, no run is a good idea for now.

I just dont want to feel like i've "caged" my ladies like im a commercial egg farm.

PETA will kill me.

 

[chicmom]

Hi! I use a big black 110 gal stock tank that I bought at TSC for my brooder. (I keep my brooder in the basement.) It works great until they're ready to go outside.....

I do think that ams3651 has a great idea too!

 

[WriterChick]

This is exactly what is happening to my girls. I have them in a medium wire kennel and this weekend will be building an interim "hoop coop" (indoors, because it's still too cold - Down East Maine). But they rush the door when I open it. This morning I had 11 squawking hens rush at me all at once. It was a bit overwhelming!

 

[Minniechickmama]

mrsruvi,
YOU LIVE IN TUCSON! They will be fine in the coop. I would put a heat lamp in a corner for night time use if you are worried about them getting cold. Or is there some other reason you don't think they can go out to the coop? Is it secure from predators? Like another person said, you can partition it with either plywood, osb or even cardboard to keep them in a smaller area, but why not give them space? They should be big enough/old enough to handle your climate. Here it is cold and rainy and only my smallest chicks (1-3 weeks have any heat added at all. Once they start getting feathers, I start weaning them from the heat lamp. Makes them tougher too, I think.

 

[rungirl]

I have 16 9 week olds that are too big for the brooder but too small yet to let live with the adults. I moved them into a 4'x8' tractor that I use for raising broilers.