when to get chicks out of the brooder????

[gapeachy]

when can I get my chicks out of the brooder? ...they will be 2 weeks old wed...

 

[COWBOY21]

After 5 weeks should be fully feather and can make it outside the brooder.

 

[gapeachy]

ok thanks...I have them in 3 crates...150 of them...getting 50 more this week.....TOO MANY CHICKS.....they are growing good I worry about them getting too crowded

 

[COWBOY21]

I meant to ask are you putting them into a extisting flock if so wait till they are about same size? If putting them into a coop by themselves,no problem.Hope this helps.

 

[gapeachy]

no I wont put them with the older chickens....my rir hen coop nothing goes in there....they dont like anything comming in there....i use that coop to gather eating eggs.... I like to let my older chicks about 2 or 3 months free range...they seem to grow better doing that....

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Quote:
oh my..that is a lot of chicks

how big are those crates?

 

[gapeachy]

they are about 4ft X 5ft....they have room to runaround....and I put a little roost in there for them to jump around on....they are growing and seem happy....I have to clean their water out about 3 times a day and add feed about 4 or 5 times....and clean out the shavings and replace...i will post pictures of their progress....i posted when I first got them

 

[WoodlandWoman]

If the outdoor temperatures are similar to the brooder temperature, then mine can go outside before they are fully feathered. If the outdoor temperatures are lower than the brooder temperature they should be at, then I move their heat lamp with them, to their grow-out housing or coop. They basically finish brooding in a more spacious area.

What kind of housing are you moving them to and how are your outside temperatures right now?

 

[gapeachy]

I am going to move them to an outside inclosed off the ground pen with their lights...outside here right now is cold and windy so I am not putting them outside yet....the weather here is crazy...one day it is 35 the next is 60 then 70 then back down to 35 we will be like this untill april then all clear with warm temps....

 

[chickenbuddy]

I would think it depends on the temp where you live.