Brooder Size Calculator
Brooder Size Calculator
Chicks double in size while you watch. Enter your chick count for the brooder floor area week by week — plus the heat schedule that goes with it.
Chicks roughly double in size every couple of weeks, so a brooder that fits day-olds is crowded by week four. Plan the final size now — or plan a move to a bigger box at week 3 — rather than discovering it at 2 a.m. from the cheeping.
Heat starts at 95 °F (35 °C) under the lamp in week 1 and drops about 5 °F a week. Chicks spread evenly = right temperature; huddled under the lamp = cold; pressed to the edges = too hot.
Your brooder plan
A square or round brooder has no corners to pile into — corner pile-ups are a real chick killer in week 1. Whatever shape you use, keep feed and water at the cool edge, away from the lamp.
How it works
Brooder space is a moving target, so the calculator plans it week by week: chicken chicks start at 0.5 sq ft each and grow to 1 sq ft by weeks 4–6; quail chicks start at 0.25 sq ft and grow to 0.5. Multiply by your chick count for each week's total, and plan your box — or your upgrade path — around the final figure.
Worked example: 6 chicken chicks need 3 sq ft in week 1 (a large tote is fine) but 6 sq ft by week 6 — a 2 × 3 ft floor. Heat drops in step beside them: 95 °F the first week, down 5 °F a week until the lamp is off and the fully-feathered youngsters are ready for the coop. Hatched your own? Work backwards with the hatch date calculator before the eggs even go in.
Brooder temperature schedule
Temperature at chick height under the heat source. Reduce by about 5 °F (3 °C) a week — and always let the chicks' behaviour overrule the chart.
| Week | Temperature | Temperature (°C) | Chicken space / chick | Quail space / chick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 95 °F | 35 °C | 0.5 sq ft | 0.3 sq ft |
| Week 2 | 90 °F | 32 °C | 0.8 sq ft | 0.3 sq ft |
| Week 3 | 85 °F | 29 °C | 0.8 sq ft | 0.4 sq ft |
| Week 4 | 80 °F | 27 °C | 1 sq ft | 0.5 sq ft |
| Week 5 | 75 °F | 24 °C | 1 sq ft | 0.5 sq ft |
| Week 6 | 70 °F | 21 °C | 1 sq ft | 0.5 sq ft |
After week 6, fully feathered chicks at 70 °F (21 °C) are ready to move out — see the coop calculators for the space they graduate into. Quail chicks typically move to adult housing a week earlier, at 4–5 weeks.
Frequently asked questions
How much brooder space do chicks need?
Chicken chicks need about 0.5 sq ft each in week 1, growing to 1 sq ft each by weeks 4–6. Quail chicks need about half that: 0.25 sq ft rising to 0.5 sq ft. Too little space shows up fast as feather-pecking, uneven growth and a brooder that gets dirty faster than you can clean it.
What temperature should a brooder be?
Start at 95 °F (35 °C) measured at chick height under the lamp for week 1, then drop about 5 °F each week: 90, 85, 80, 75 and 70 °F by week 6, by which point feathered chicks handle normal room temperature. Heat only part of the brooder so chicks can move away to cool down.
How do I tell if chicks are too hot or too cold?
Watch the birds, not just the thermometer. Chicks huddled in a pile directly under the lamp are cold; chicks pressed against the far edges, panting, are too hot. Evenly spread chicks that wander, eat and sleep in loose groups are at the right temperature.
When can chicks leave the brooder?
When they are fully feathered — around 6 weeks for most chicken breeds — and night temperatures are not far below what they have been weaned to (about 70 °F). Quail chicks feather faster and are usually ready at 4–5 weeks, going straight into their adult cage setup.
What makes a good brooder box?
Draft-free walls about 18 inches high, a non-slip floor (paper towels over bedding for the first days so chicks find food, not shavings), and no square corners in small pens — corners are where chicks pile and smother. A big plastic tote, a stock tank or a cardboard appliance box all work if the size is right.