Where do you keep your chicks?

[From the North]

Thanks everyone! I'm thinking we might be able to set them up in either my spare room in the house, or in the basement. Has anyone ever used an aquarium for this? I have a few of those sitting around.

 

[Brookliner]

From the North ... How many are you talking about.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I use a baby pool or stock tank in the basement for the first 3-4 weeks depending on weather. Then they get kicked to the coop or the garage also depending on weather and eventually introduced to the rest when I think they are big enough to handle it....I haven't actually had to do this last part as my last batch was my first so wish me luck this time around.

 

[Quyen Le]

There will be a lot of dust if you have many of them.

 

[From the North]

Not sure exactly how many. Probably 6 to 12.

 

[debid]

I doubt you'll have room in an aquarium for that many. I used a wooden box with hardware cloth on the hinged & locking lid out on a covered porch. 10 were a tight squeeze in a 4x2 box by 6 weeks. I was supposed to be moving them to the coop with their lamp by 4 weeks -- should have planned for delays...

 

[AmpersatChick]

debid, did you have to worry about cold/draft with your covered porch and box? Thinking our 11 chicks will have to end up on our covered porch the more I read up. Not getting them until May but want to be prepared, These will be our first.

 

[SamanthaBrooke]

I will be having 25 of them so I will be using two 3x3x3 boxes, 12 in each with heat lamps in our spare bathroom where I'll be able to keep the dander controlled with a vacuum and dusting, I'll be hanging my heat lamp from the ceiling tress.

 

[Ridgerunner]

debid, did you have to worry about cold/draft with your covered porch and box? Thinking our 11 chicks will have to end up on our covered porch the more I read up. Not getting them until May but want to be prepared, These will be our first.

I’m up in NW Arkansas. Not sure what part you are in. In May the cold won’t be a huge problem. You might want to actually be concerned about the heat on your porch if the sun shines in. They really do handle cold better than heat. You may need to provide shade. You might need protection from rain too. Hopefully we will get rain this year.

I think you do need a draft guard to keep breezes off them. That can be around the bottom foot or so, then have good ventilation up higher.

Don’t worry about the cold. All you need to do is heat one area and let the rest cool off as it will. Make it big enough and with good enough ventilation that they can get to a cooler area. They will find their own comfort zone and it will be all over that brooder. You’ll probably be surprised at how much time they spend in the cooler areas. I’d go bonkers trying to keep an entire brooder the perfect temperature, plus I think they feather out faster and are overall healthier if they can play in warm and cool areas.

A broody hen does not heat up the entire outside when she raises chicks. She provides one are that is warm for them to go to when they need it. Think along those lines.

 

[Back2MyRoots]

Mine take over the guest bathroom every spring for about 5 weeks! Our dog absolutely loves them all. The nieces and nephews all want to spend the night with us so they can play with the chicklets. And I enjoy being able to lay hands on the fuzzies any time I want. They have a sheltered and safe life where I can make any tiny adjustments that they may need. And I end up with the most tame and handle-able chickens on the face of the planet. Win-win situation!