Too big for their Brooder

[mikki717]

So the 12 fuzzy butts were getting too big for their brooder. My brooder is a 3' x 3' box. Contents were 2 waterers, 1 feeder, two perches, 2 inches of bedding and 12 chicks.

1 Delaware"Sweetie" -4 weeks old
2 white leghorns -3 and 4 weeks old
3 BR pullets "Barbie" is missing the tip of one toe -4 weeks old
1 BR roolett

"Ken" -4 weeks old
and 5 seemingly small, Brown leghorns 3 weeks old.

They probably had plenty of room for another week or two, but DH and I figured we would section off part of the run for the little guys. So now they are in a 15' x 6' totally enclosed pen. We turned their old brooder on it's side, so they still have their light and cozy room.

The only problem is... now they look way to small for their pen!!

 

[gryeyes]

Oh goodness, space available for MORE chickens, perhaps??

I have TWO brooders, one is in the Bathroom Nursery, the other is outside on the back porch with the older chicks more feathered out. The 7 in that brooder are gonna need to go to a grow-out coop really soon.

The chicks in the Bathroom Nursery are only 2 weeks old, it will be a while before I can move them into the "intermediate sized" outside brooder coop. The next few weeks of Indian Summer weather will decide when THAT will happen... or if they stay inside for the full 8 weeks.

So, where are the pictures of this new arrangement, Mikki?

 

[write2caroline]

My husband and I built a pallet coop and I added screen to the one door side so they could be outside but see the other chickens from about 2 weeks on. Then at 4 weeks they were out in the run - there was some pecking and chasing but they had plenty of water stations and feed stations and hiding places to avoid the big chickens. It worked out very well.
Caroline

 

[mikki717]

ok... I have a pallett coop, that is 8x14 with an attached pen that is 800 sq feet... A Secondary coop for next year's broodies, 3x5 with an attached yard of 175 sq feet... and the brooder (on it's side) 3x3 with an attached yard of 136 sq feet.. This gives me 136 sq. feet of coop, and about 1,000 sq feet of yard.

If I go by 4 sq feet of coop, and 10 sq feet of yard per chicken, I can have 34 chickens inside, and 100 outside...

That's 134 chickens! gotta love chicken math!