What am I in for?

[kingsdaughter]

Am I crazy to have 25 - 30 chicks in my house for six - eight weeks? Someone said I should be worried about the smell and a large amount of dust. I dont have a room to close off. I was just thinking about the kiddy pool in my dining room or living room. Also, are they all going to fit in there at 6-8 weeks? Or will some type of pecking frenzy break out?

 

[cookinmom]

From what I've seen over the past week, they won't be staying in that kiddie pool for very long, unless it has high sides. My chicks can jump over a foot upwards, and when they put their wings in action at the same time, they can go a couple feet outwards too. They were jumping out of their 12" high enclosure by the time they were a week old. Maybe if you get one of those 18" deep kiddie pools it might keep them in.

I have this cute mental picture of 25 chicks swarming the LR while the fam is watching TV!

The clean up would be horrendous, but it sure would be cute!

 

[kingsdaughter]

This is what I want to know.... what clean up? I plan on having cardboard walls and a wire top over it, but what clean up. What kind of mess are we talking about?

Dust floating in the air? Dust covering everything? Oder, as in amonia? Constant vaccuuming?

 

[justusnak]

Kingsdaughter.....so my guess is you have never had chickens? Do you have a garage you can let them live in...with a heat lamp...in a large box? The POO...OMG, the POO! I for one, dont mind the smell at first, maybe 2 weeks...but after that...wowsa...25 to 30 can sure raise a stink if you dont clean thier box say every other day or so. Have fun! They are great to watch grow up, and when they first start scratching the ground....WOW, TOO cute!!Have fun!!

 

[kingsdaughter]

No, this is my first flock.

Is it the poop that stinks or urine? I can scoop poop, but Im guessing that the latter is more difficult to deal with. Can you scoop that to?

Is there something I can use for bedding that would help in my situation?

I do have a detached garage, but the children and I really wanted to be spending time with them and watching them grow.

 

[speckledhen]

There is no real urine. Some of the poop has a sort of white cap on top and that is the urine. Not a liquid, unless the poop is runny! There is usually fluff all over the place and chick dander. You will vaccuum alot, I guarantee you, if they are in the house. Use pine shavings for bedding after the first few days, paper towels at first, but do not use cedar! The aromatic oils are not good for chicks.

 

[kingsdaughter]

OK, so would a pooper scooper, as in the thing for cats, work with pine shavings? Or will the deep litter method work also. In the coop I was going to use the deep litter system, but I dont know if this will hide the smell inside.

 

[speckledhen]

You can't really use a deep litter method with baby chicks-that's for inside a coop. They are in a small environment and need it cleaned out regularly. A cat litter scoop will help you get out the poop fairly well, or an old slotted spoon.

 

[bigzio]

kingsdaughter, Please relax and take it a day at a time. Pine shavings are the bedding you need to use. It will take care of smells and no need to try to scoop tiny liitle chick poo. The shavings will dry the poo and eliminate the smell. If it starts to smell, simply remove the soiled shavings and replace with fresh.

Dust will be a problem in the living room, however a seperate room where you could close the door would at least keep the dust in one room.

Chickens don't go #1 and #2, they go #3, so it's not seperate urine.

Keep this experience fun the way it's ment to be, a little dust, alittle odor, no big deal, you get to watch the best show in town.

bigzio

 

[kingsdaughter]

Thank you so much for the responses. Im going to try the inside thing till it is unbearable, or I am unable to keep up with the dust and dander and fluff. I was starting to get nervous, but Im feeling more confident again. Only four weeks till the chicks arive!