When To Move Birds

[Buttercup Chillin]

Quote:
I've done that with the Big Jumbo Cortunix in the summer, but I baby mine. (Well not as much as Quaillady does). I got some of that rubber matting with 1/4" holes (Home depot), cut to fit about 3/4 of the grow out pen. Roll it out, next day change it out, hose it off, wash it and hang it to dry. Next day all over again, until they are used to the wire. Gives them a place off wire to give the feet a cushey rest. And time to learn to keep the toes inside the wire not hanging down where something can get at them.

Outside brooder though has 1/4 wire and they stay there until they are 4 weeks then go to the grow out pen that has 1/2" wire. Just the way I'm set up. But I have that 1/4" rubber mat to use where ever I want and I can cut it to any size. I think it comes in a 4 foot wide roll, or something like that. It was perfect for my grow out pen.

 

[_Randall_]

Quote:
I've done that with the Big Jumbo Cortunix in the summer, but I baby mine. (Well not as much as Quaillady does). I got some of that rubber matting with 1/4" holes (Home depot), cut to fit about 3/4 of the grow out pen. Roll it out, next day change it out, hose it off, wash it and hang it to dry. Next day all over again, until they are used to the wire. Gives them a place off wire to give the feet a cushey rest. And time to learn to keep the toes inside the wire not hanging down where something can get at them.

Outside brooder though has 1/4 wire and they stay there until they are 4 weeks then go to the grow out pen that has 1/2" wire. Just the way I'm set up. But I have that 1/4" rubber mat to use where ever I want and I can cut it to any size. I think it comes in a 4 foot wide roll, or something like that. It was perfect for my grow out pen.

The first brooder I built, I put 1/4" wire in it. It worked great until they (about 60 chicks) reached 7-8 days old. By then, being the little "poop machines" they are, the wire floor was becoming a solid mat of poop. I moved them to another make-shift brooder, took the 1/4" wire out and put in 1/2"....put them back in it, and all was well. Considering how quick the chicks grow, I was confident their monsterous little feet wouldn't go through, and studied them for about an hour just to make sure. Again, all was well. Now, it's towels down for the first week, then they're on the 1/2" wire. It's a slight "culture-shock" for them at first, but heck, being the spastic bird they are, within a few hours, they're more worried about picking a fight than loosing their carpet!!