# new to hatching!



## ryan123 (Dec 2, 2012)

I am soon going hatching a flock of chicks and i am looking for some tips on housing them. 
what do i need and where do i keep them?
thanks


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## grgfishkeeper (Oct 15, 2012)

Depends on what breed how many and how much time you want to spend... also how crafty you are...

I started out with 7 birds free ranging and some blue barrels on there side for them to lay in....

Now i have pens for all my birds and a huge coop made to hold 30+ birds... with a 400 sq ft run


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

Yes. I think we need details to give any meaningful help.


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## BuckeyeChickens (Jul 11, 2012)

Ryan,

Plastic storage totes make good brooders for small batches of chicks, you need a heat lamp, feeder and water.....it looks like this;










or this "bank" of brooders;










in the 90 quart totes i use I can house 20-25 large fowl chicks until they are about 3-4 weeks old then I move them to an outdoor brooder/coop (10'x10') space in my barn (or garage). in the outdoor space make sure it is realitively draft free, provide heat lamp (or lamps if you have more than 25 chicks), water and feed. i also use pine shavings in my totes and outdoor brooders....the first week the baby chicks are on paper towels so they can walk easier and find the feed! The next picture is an example of one of my outdoor brooders;










When they are fully feathered, about 6-8 weeks, I move them to one of my coop/runs and they no longer get any heat lamps....see picture below;










The above in an old second hand dog kennel and a used Rubbermaid plastic shed both were picked up via Craigslist for "cheap" compared to the price of new ones! The shed is 12'x8' and the run (kennel) is 12'x8' as well.....it was modified with a tarp roof to protect from hawks and the chainlink is wrapped with nylon netting to keep small wild birds out of the feed....chicken wire can also be used if you like! This is just a few examples of what I do....you may or may not like what I have done but maybe it will give you some ideas.


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## ryan123 (Dec 2, 2012)

i have a few different breeds of hens so the eggs will be a mix. i will be hatching them under a hen. when they are hatched what do i need to do with them? 

thanks for all the feedback


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## grgfishkeeper (Oct 15, 2012)

Let them go the mom will care for them


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

ryan123 said:


> i have a few different breeds of hens so the eggs will be a mix. i will be hatching them under a hen. when they are hatched what do i need to do with them?
> 
> thanks for all the feedback


Let the hen do her job ...  Mother Nature at her best.

On a side note ~ I would wait on warm(er) weather. (but I'm not sure where you are at.)


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

BuckeyeChickens said:


> Ryan,
> 
> Plastic storage totes make good brooders for small batches of chicks, you need a heat lamp, feeder and water.....it looks like this;
> 
> ...


that's a fine looking setup you have there Buckeye
we will be putting about 3 dozen in our new bator come the end of the month.


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## BuckeyeChickens (Jul 11, 2012)

piglett said:


> that's a fine looking setup you have there Buckeye
> we will be putting about 3 dozen in our new bator come the end of the month.


Thanks Piglett! I have a couple more like it but my main "breeding pen" is a 22' x 24' building.....you might be able to see it in the background (it's tan in color). I keep about 60-70 Buckeyes in there thru the winter and then move them into seperate breeding pens during the chick.hatching egg season!


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

BuckeyeChickens said:


> Thanks Piglett! I have a couple more like it but my main "breeding pen" is a 22' x 24' building.....you might be able to see it in the background (it's tan in color). I keep about 60-70 Buckeyes in there thru the winter and then move them into seperate breeding pens during the chick.hatching egg season!


i'm going to have to do something with my young & part grown chicks
i was lucky enough to see what i thought was a good setup when i went to buy some 3 week old silkie chicks.
the guy had what i would call "hutches" from floor to cealing
they looked to be EZ to clean out with plywood on the bottom of each
a wooden door with heavy wire mesh in the middle so they would get plenty of air. he said because he has so many heat lamps in the hutches that their water never freezes. it was really a compact building
maybe 8'x16'
the thing is i already have an old workshop out back that is just a little bigger than that. i'm thinking insulate it with 1" foam board & add hutches as i need them. might only need a few this year till i get things up to full speed.
looking to double the # of hens i have this year
that should help with production.

piglett


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