Waaaayyyy too many chicks! Expert bulk experience needed!

Hi,
I went to a grocery store and got watermelon corrals. each one is 15 square feet. their triple thick cardboard. really nice. I put a tarp down, set the Corral on top, put 4 in of shavings on top of that. set out the foods in the waters up on blocks so that they didn't get chips throw in them. do your lights set up however you want to do it and you're good to go. each Corral will raise 15 chicks up through 3 to 4 weeks old .then they need more room . each chick Corral will hold 7 large fowl chicks at 3 months old.
Best,
Karen

I love this idea! Using watermelon corrals is so clever- I always end up scrounging around for big boxes behind apartment building and at Costco, and then taping a bunch together, but this sounds so much easier, cleaner, and better looking. I, for one, will definitely try this; do the grocery stores give them to you for free? Do you just have to ask employees?
 
We built a 8' x 8' brooder out of cheap plywood and 2x4's and put it in the spare bedroom with layers of plastic sheeting under it. I built it in about an hour, but even unhandy people can do it in half a day.
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Thanks for all the info! I was going to keep them in the basement for a few weeks at least. According to the sq ft figures, I can put about 14 per stock tank? I'm currently building a 6x12 coop in our barn for the new flock. How soon can rhey have that much floor space? Will they be smart enough to go to the heat sources when needed with that much room?
I already have 7 sold and should be able to sell more easily, just wondering how long I should hold on to them for health and mistaken gender issues. This whole thing started as a result of wanting blue eggs! And then chocolates! And then beautiful birds! Such an obsession! Good thing hubby won't let me get sheep and goats!!!
What is your barn setup? If you have traditional stalls or a small confined area, go straight out to the barn with them. You can start in the stock tanks. Split them into 2 groups. That will work for the first 3 weeks might make it to 4. After that, I would turn them out in a protected area at least 6x6 with a heat source available. I put 30 5 week olds in a 6x8 pen inside a stall with a huddle box and no heat with nighttime temps in the single digits. More than enough room at 8 weeks. They will be split in a few weeks unless we get a big snow storm.
Selling pullets that are off heat is easy. If you have enough room, growing them out to POL can bring in enough to pay for your birds and the trouble.
 
Mary, those are our Ancona's.
Black and yellow when they are young, then the yellow becomes white. Then as they grow it finally ends as black with white spots as shown below. The third picture is a hen and the last picture is our rooster, Richard Head...
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This will be our new 6 x 12 coop area. It has a door that goes right out into the current run of our other coop. It was a storage room area. We are either going to put the chicks in the new coop (I'll have it all done!) or in a 12 x 12 room in the basement. No tanks or tubs, just the whole area. I'm going to make Mama's heating pads for them . Is it better to use the 12x15" or 12x24" size? And recommended number of chicks per pad?
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I would go straight into the new coop but you need to reduce the area to about 1/3 to start. Too large of an area can contribute to chilled chicks and face it chicks aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer and can have trouble finding the heat source in a new place. A simple barrier at least 2' tall for the first 2 weeks will keep them confined. You can move it to expand their area every week or two. Once they can fly over the barrier, just give them the whole coop.
Go with the bigger heating pads. Start with 2. You'll have time to get a third if you need more room.
 
HI. I brooded about 50 chicks last season with MHP. (2) 12 x 24 and (1) 12 x 15. They really should have 2 s.f./chick by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. Mine were brooded in an outdoor grow out coop. by the time they were 3 weeks old, they were using the loft for sleeping, and coming and going to lower 8 x 12 lower level run. Temps at that time went down to 20's/30's at night, and 40's - 60's during the day.

And, of course I know you are aware that the recommended space for back yard flock is 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird for adults.
 

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