Working Full Time and Baby Chicks - Doable?

[fuzzi]

Yeah, he works real hard to open those doors!!


In all seriousness. He will do it while they are small but otherwise, when he's not available I open them up at 3am (poor babes)

I just moved mine from their brooder to the coop floor yesterday, at 1 wk. The brooder was too small even at 4ftx4ft

I have an open-air hoop coop, so they're staying in the brooder with the heating pad until the weather warms up more and they feather out.

Mine are bantams, so I can keep them in the smaller brooder a little longer.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I have an open-air hoop coop, so they're staying in the brooder with the heating pad until the weather warms up more and they feather out.

Mine are bantams, so I can keep them in the smaller brooder a little longer.

These guys are growing so fast. I lost a few to smothering so at the suggestion of another BYCer ...I moved them to the coop floor.

I wish the brooder I had worked longer. I really thought it would. I brooded 20 chicks in a plastic tote last yr with 1 loss. This yr bigger brooder but more chicks...6 losses

 

[NagemTX]

Mine will get a large hard plastic pool for the first two weeks. The largest you can gat at Walmart. At about two weeks they can usually get out on their own so the pool gets removed. They have half of the 24ft long hoop coop to roam and once they are four weeks will have the whole thing. My bro and I dubbed it chicke fort Knox.

 

[alpacasandchicks78]

Yes, it can be done. First day or two, if you can swing it, plan to be home.
Get a routine down. I had two feeders and waterers, one set in use and one set ready to go the night before. Takes 5-10 min in the morning to clean, feed, check health.
I set up a ring cam and monitored from work until I got home.

I do the same thing with my ring camera and food/water. We had an extra camera so we figured why not and it lessened the stress being able to drop in on them to see if they are okay.

 

[TheRusticRebel]

I do it. I have a baby monitor on them. i can watch them on my phone at work. Im gone from 4:30am to 2pm and again from 3pm to 5pm. I usually watch them at sunrise to see that they all come out and eat and drink then just check on them throughout the day.

 

[Nicci0110]

I'm currently working full time, leaving the house about 6:00 am and getting home about 4:30pm.

I don't expect any assistance from family with raising day-old chicks until they graduate to the coop.

Can it be done? And without buying expensive equipment?

Other aspects of the situation:
1. No current hens to brood for me
2. No one in the household to watch chicks for me
3. Chicken pen and coop construction will start in the next couple weeks

Or should I just pay the big money to order pullets?

Suggestions would be appreciated.

Note: I did hatch and brood chicks before but it was 30+ years ago, and I was only working part time.

Thanks.

I work full time and commute an hour and have had no issues at all. Definitely doable

 

[fuzzi]

Last Friday through Sunday I let out the chicks about 7-8am each morning, leaving the brooder door open. I checked on them frequently Friday, and less so on Saturday and Sunday. They went out to explore and play in the run despite cold weather, ducking back into the brooder to warm up.

I opened the brooder door in the dark this morning, about 5:50am. It was 30°F, but I heard a couple tentative peeps coming from under the MHP as I locked the run/coop door behind me. I didn't have anyone else to do it, but I'm pretty sure they'll be okay.