What is the minimum amount of chicks you can have in a brooder?

[CatWhisperer]

Who really goes out and gets a minimum # of chicks? But 3 cause 1 may not make it.

 

[aart]

Who really goes out and gets a minimum # of chicks?

Someone who doesn't have unlimited room for more birds

 

[chkva]

Someone who doesn't have unlimited room for more birds

Also someone who knows what they can handle and want to care for... Not everyone wants 20+ chickens.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think 3 is a good minimum in most cases, 2 at an absolute minimum. Obviously only get as many birds as your set up will hold.

 

[johnsonfarm]

I know this is an old thread, but curious about this as well, what is a minimum number for the chicks to truly thrive? I have 4 chicks and recently lost one. The breeder told me that sometimes chicks don't thrive "especially when you are brooding an extremely small number of them". What is considered extremely small, what is an average number that most people brood?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I know this is an old thread, but curious about this as well, what is a minimum number for the chicks to truly thrive? I have 4 chicks and recently lost one. The breeder told me that sometimes chicks don't thrive "especially when you are brooding an extremely small number of them". What is considered extremely small, what is an average number that most people brood?

I don't believe in that. I only do 3-4 chicks at a time and haven't had any losses due to health issues.

The main reason for saying "3 is the minimum" is simply because if one chick dies for any reason, the 2 survivors at least still have each other to grow up with.