Yep, that should be fine. Just make sure you have enough linear roost space. If you only have one 8' roost you might want to think about adding a second.

I have a second one in the run (a 3 tier 2' ladder, same in the coop) my leghorns like to rooster in the rafters of the coop though so I should have plenty of space

Ezekiel Mietitore Yep, you got it covered. Well done!

yack f zay ..s

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We have 50 chicks in the brooder right now who are about 12 days old. It went below freezing here last night and they did fine with two heat lamps. If you have 25 or less and have a good draft shield I think they'll be fine with one heat lamp. Important thing is to watch them. If they all huddle miserably under the lamp they're too cold. Having most under the lamp is fine.

My rule of thumb is to buy 2 50lb bags of starter per 25 chicks and switch to layer crumble when they run out. Though that plan had a lot to do with the fact that we had used medicated feed in the past. Laying hens should never be exposed to medicated feed. I've read that if they ever are we have to stop selling our eggs for something like 2 months. We stopped using medicated feed since coccidiosis vaccine has become available but have stuck to this practice. On the second day we don't try and isolate. Our coops generally have over 100 birds each so getting them to do anything is futile. Some broods have gone out the second day (and often require finding putting them back in at night) while others did not venture out for days. We have found that if you introduce the chicks to a particular corner they often stay in that corner for days so we now introduce them into the corner most away from the door.

Very good, thank you for the super quick response.

Yes it can. We once had some older birds kill 17 (out of 30) pullets in one day -- though that was after years of never having a problem. If you need to mix them just be sure to pay careful attention. A little pecking is expected but if any of the pullets start bleeding get them out ASAP before a feeding frenzy starts.

There really is no fixed formula. It depends on roost space, nesting boxes and how much work you're willing to do. In our 8 x 12 coop we can manage 60. At that ratio a 5 x 5 could hold 15. You would need at least 15 feet of roosting space (22 would be better) -- though I'm not sure a straight ratio conversion works here. So perhaps a max of 10 -- but start with 5 or 7 and work you way up while you get comfortable.

I just put them in a safe place for a couple of days. When they are healed I reintroduce them. The real danger is that when chickens see blood it becomes a feeding frenzy so any bleeding pullet should be removed right away. They will quite literally eat them alive. It doesn't happen often but it escalates rapidly once it starts.

Good question. For us it can be 24 hours to 3 days depending on how they behave. Each brood has their own personality. When they stop piling up in corners and the adults birds don't gang up we will let light back in. To clarify, we don't confine the adult birds with the pullets. We kick the adults birds out a little before sunset and lock them out, Bring in the pullets and let them have run of the coop for an hour and then let the adults in as the sun is setting so they won't have too much time to cause havoc. Don't know if that's "best" but it's worked for us.

Thank you so much. This makes sense to me, and I'll be trying it soon. I'll let you know how it works out. Sincerely, Sue.

That should be okay. Watch them and they will tell you how they feel. If they are to warm they will avoid the heat lamp and if they are too cold they will gather right under it.

Yes, it needs to be on for 24 hours. The goal is to keep them at around 95f but they also need to be able to get away also. If you pay attention they will tell you if they are too hot or not by how close they gather to the light. A red light is the best because it can also prevent cannibalistic behaviors that chickens are prone to (they can peck each other to death and the red light makes blood look black no read).

ok thanks

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