Chick Brooder *Please Answer!*

[chloechickens01]

Ok, I know this may be a little late, but my chicks are coming in the beginning on July... which is really soon.
I want to make a new brooder because Im going to be raising the chicks in my garage, where all my cats and my puppy stays. I dont want to use a water tank like how some use, because then the cats can possibly jump on the wire and break it, because they are fat... And I dont want to risk it.

Im getting 20 chicks and I want to know how big it will need to be until they get big enough to get them in a coop. Im halfway new to raising chickens so if theres any tips or tricks let me know!



Oh, and something else, is there a way to tell a rooster from a hen at the early stages, because I dont want any roosters.


Anyways, if you have anything to share, please do!
Thanks!!!

 

[LoneOak]

Maybe it would be best if you were to start out with a good book like "Storey's Guide to raising Chickens" or "Chickens in your Backyard A beginners Guide". Either of these can be gotten from Amazon and if you hurry you can get them before your chicks arrive. I can tell by the nature of your questions that you have many more questions than could be answered here in a couple weeks.

If your getting your chicks from a hatchery they will sell you either pullets (females) or Cockrelles (males). If you are just getting some baby chicks from a friend or neighbor there isn't an easy way to tell if they are Male or female unless you are getting sex-link birds. Now there is another question, and it goes on and on so its best to get a good book and read it first.

 

[desertegg]

I had a rabbit cage that I used as a brooder for the first two weeks. It is very secure re: cats. Five chicks seemed happy in the smallish cage (maybe 2' x 3'?) until about two weeks of age, when they started to look like they were stressed and picking on each other. I moved them to half of the bathroom partitioned with a cardboard wall yesterday. They are still sort of mean to each other, but maybe it's just chicken behavior! They aren't as safe from the cats as they were in the cage, but it's only for (I guess) two more weeks until they move outside.

 

[chloechickens01]

Maybe it would be best if you were to start out with a good book like "Storey's Guide to raising Chickens" or "Chickens in your Backyard A beginners Guide". Either of these can be gotten from Amazon and if you hurry you can get them before your chicks arrive. I can tell by the nature of your questions that you have many more questions than could be answered here in a couple weeks.

If your getting your chicks from a hatchery they will sell you either pullets (females) or Cockrelles (males). If you are just getting some baby chicks from a friend or neighbor there isn't an easy way to tell if they are Male or female unless you are getting sex-link birds. Now there is another question, and it goes on and on so its best to get a good book and read it first.

I'm getting pullets from a hatchery, but I did my last batch too and one ended up a rooster. I know thats not too uncommon, but I really dont want to have roosters. But the main thing I want to know is how big I will need my brooder for 20 chicks.

 

[chloechickens01]

I had a rabbit cage that I used as a brooder for the first two weeks. It is very secure re: cats. Five chicks seemed happy in the smallish cage (maybe 2' x 3'?) until about two weeks of age, when they started to look like they were stressed and picking on each other. I moved them to half of the bathroom partitioned with a cardboard wall yesterday. They are still sort of mean to each other, but maybe it's just chicken behavior! They aren't as safe from the cats as they were in the cage, but it's only for (I guess) two more weeks until they move outside.

Ok, I'll use that until they get too big and by then maybe I'll have something bigger for them. Thanks!

 

[ChickenMack]

I just raised a bunch in my garage as well, it's very easy. I used a large wire dog crate, not a plastic one, and used zip ties to secure sheets of cardboard from the floor of the crate to just about a third of the way up the crate, this protects them from the the cats. You can hang your brooder lamp inside with no problems and be able to move it up or down depending on the temperature you need. Put it on a table, or like I did, I put it on a sheet of plywood held up with two sawhorses. It is great because it is easy to break down when you put your pullets out in the coop. Use whatever bedding you prefer, I use straw, that is my preferred litter in the chicken house.

One tip I would give you, because it has worked great with at least three batches of my chicks is a product called "Sav-A-Chick Probiotic". Have it in the water first thing when you get your chicks and put it in their water for about the first week or two. Since I started using this, I have not had one case of "pasty butt". Just like for humans, it puts healthy bacteria in their gut and they suffer less. I get it at a farm supply/ feed store. It's fantastic.

Also, chicks need very little space in their first week, so if you find something that will work at the beginning, then it will buy you time to find a crate large enough.

And, if you get a rooster, you won't know for absolutely sure until the first crow. I have some chicks that are seven weeks old and I can tell the roosters because they are a bit bigger and their combs are already developing. So if you have a breed with a single comb, you will be able to tell relatively quickly but if you have ones with rose or buttercup combs, it may be harder to tell until about twenty weeks when they hit sexual maturity. The roos will crow and the hens will start to lay. Getting chicks from a hatchery though, you have about a ten percent chance of getting a roo, they are pretty good at sexing but sometimes one gets through. If you get chicks from a straight run, your chances are fifty fifty.

Oh, and don't forget the vitamins for the water. You can get them at your feed store as well. Your chicks will have had it pretty rough in their first twenty four/ forty eights hours if they were shipped to you from a hatchery. If you put an electrolyte/vitamin in their water, for just the first day, they will also be much healthier.

Man, that's a long post. But I hope it helps.

 

[desertegg]

This is from Storey's guide:

0-4 weeks 1/2 square foot per bird.
4-8 weeks 1 square foot per bird.
8-12 weeks 2 square feet per bird.

at 12+ weeks (still brooder space not coop space)

light breeds (bantams, standards) 2.5 - 3 square feet per bird.
heavy breeds 3 - 3.5 square feet per bird.

 

[chloechickens01]

I just raised a bunch in my garage as well, it's very easy. I used a large wire dog crate, not a plastic one, and used zip ties to secure sheets of cardboard from the floor of the crate to just about a third of the way up the crate, this protects them from the the cats. You can hang your brooder lamp inside with no problems and be able to move it up or down depending on the temperature you need. Put it on a table, or like I did, I put it on a sheet of plywood held up with two sawhorses. It is great because it is easy to break down when you put your pullets out in the coop. Use whatever bedding you prefer, I use straw, that is my preferred litter in the chicken house.

One tip I would give you, because it has worked great with at least three batches of my chicks is a product called "Sav-A-Chick Probiotic". Have it in the water first thing when you get your chicks and put it in their water for about the first week or two. Since I started using this, I have not had one case of "pasty butt". Just like for humans, it puts healthy bacteria in their gut and they suffer less. I get it at a farm supply/ feed store. It's fantastic.

Also, chicks need very little space in their first week, so if you find something that will work at the beginning, then it will buy you time to find a crate large enough.

And, if you get a rooster, you won't know for absolutely sure until the first crow. I have some chicks that are seven weeks old and I can tell the roosters because they are a bit bigger and their combs are already developing. So if you have a breed with a single comb, you will be able to tell relatively quickly but if you have ones with rose or buttercup combs, it may be harder to tell until about twenty weeks when they hit sexual maturity. The roos will crow and the hens will start to lay. Getting chicks from a hatchery though, you have about a ten percent chance of getting a roo, they are pretty good at sexing but sometimes one gets through. If you get chicks from a straight run, your chances are fifty fifty.

Oh, and don't forget the vitamins for the water. You can get them at your feed store as well. Your chicks will have had it pretty rough in their first twenty four/ forty eights hours if they were shipped to you from a hatchery. If you put an electrolyte/vitamin in their water, for just the first day, they will also be much healthier.

Man, that's a long post. But I hope it helps.

Thanks! This helps a lot!

 

[chloechickens01]

This is from Storey's guide:

0-4 weeks 1/2 square foot per bird.
4-8 weeks 1 square foot per bird.
8-12 weeks 2 square feet per bird.

at 12+ weeks (still brooder space not coop space)

light breeds (bantams, standards) 2.5 - 3 square feet per bird.
heavy breeds 3 - 3.5 square feet per bird.

ok I'll use this.

 

[msrma7670]

Just remember they grow really fast so if ya go small they will grow fast. Just cull the roos or give them away or eat them in a few weeks