when to put chicks in the coop

Date sort Score sort
700

The "door" window is in the background
 
JaysGirl said:
What I meant was I wanted the cool air to flow through the coop instead of the scorching hot air from the sunny side. You can see in the picture below, I have another window the length of my door opposite the big window.
I wish it would have stayed 85 yesterday!
1f601.png
that was the temp when I put them out there! I think it reached 96! But thanks to good advice from folks like you and @AllynTal, they made it through and so did I LOL! I have to give kudos to my DH for the windows. I told him they needed good ventilation and that's what he came up with. I think the girls will be happy with it. Also I put a milk crate at the bottom of ramp. I think it did the trick because they have been on it, I know because they left little gifts on it!
1f600.png
I'm going to post a picture below from my computer because it won't let me do it on my phone.
Click to expand...
Ah, gotcha!!
 
JaysGirl said:
700

The "door" window is in the background
Click to expand...
Those are great windows. Yay for the DH. :) It looks like the window closest to us in the picture has a flip-up cover. I might suggest cutting a panel out of that plywood and covering it with a louvered grill so when you close it, you don't lose all ventilation on that side of the coop. Something like this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cellwood-18-in-x-24-in-White-Rectangular-Gable-Vent-REGV18H04H/202674720
It doesn't have to be that one, just something similar to let the air keep moving and let some light in even when the panel is closed.
 
JaysGirl said:
Thanks! I have a question about the ventilation. Does there need to be permanent ventilation on all sides of the coop? Because on the two opposite walls up top we have the whole 4' vented at the top (eaves). Didn't know if that would be enough.
Click to expand...

Somewhere there is a formula for how many square inches of ventilation per chicken. I don't remember what it is, I just remember that each chicken requires a lot of ventilation. I don't have ventilation on all four sides, but the front and back have open soffits/eaves (covered with hardware cloth), and the front has two 34-inch x 72-inch windows that have bermuda shutters (full-length louvered shutters). Even if I have to close up the coop for a storm, I don't lose ventilation. That's kinda what I was going for when I suggested putting the louvered grill in that plywood panel, so you could close it for weather, but not lose ventilation.
 
I need advice from some experienced chicken Mama's out there! I'm in southern CA and a new chicken Mom. I have 4 chicks that are 4 1/2 weeks old. They have been spending all day outside in the run for about ten days now. It is warm here, about 90 during the day and 62 at the lowest. I've been bringing them inside at night to sleep in their box with heat source. I turned the heat source off a couple of days ago because they weren't really going under it even at night. They are outgrowing their box and hate to come in. Last night I put them in the coop overnight for the first time. They peeped for about ten minutes then quieted down. I checked on them multiple times all night and they were quiet. I couldn't see anything in the coop and didn't want to shine a light and wake them
1f629.png
. I let them out this morning about 7:00 and all seemed ok. So my question is if they were quiet were they probably ok and not too cold? I know low 60's isn't going to kill them but I don't want them cold and miserable all night! Advice?
 
sharon3 said:
I need advice from some experienced chicken Mama's out there! I'm in southern CA and a new chicken Mom. I have 4 chicks that are 4 1/2 weeks old. They have been spending all day outside in the run for about ten days now. It is warm here, about 90 during the day and 62 at the lowest. I've been bringing them inside at night to sleep in their box with heat source. I turned the heat source off a couple of days ago because they weren't really going under it even at night. They are outgrowing their box and hate to come in. Last night I put them in the coop overnight for the first time. They peeped for about ten minutes then quieted down. I checked on them multiple times all night and they were quiet. I couldn't see anything in the coop and didn't want to shine a light and wake them
1f629.png
. I let them out this morning about 7:00 and all seemed ok. So my question is if they were quiet were they probably ok and not too cold? I know low 60's isn't going to kill them but I don't want them cold and miserable all night! Advice?
Click to expand...


They're fine. I know it's stressful being a new mama! Quiet is good
1f609.png
 
I feel so silly asking questions like this but i know you guys will give me good advice and ease my mind! My 6 wk old girls have been in the coop for about a week and a half and I must say I am starting to relax a bit more and dont feel the need to check on them quite as often (thank goodness!) I do however check on them before I go to bed, and i am not sure if what i found tonight is ok or not!

ep.gif
They just starting using the roost 5 days ago and i have 2- 4ft wide roost and this is where they go?! Should I just leave them alone or put something up there to block them from getting up there? They seem pretty happy
big_smile.png
 
Chicks learning to roost have an instinct to search out the highest perches they can find and attempt to roost there. This has happened with many of my chicks, and I just fetch them down from the precarious perches and place them back on the real perch.

My present chicks are over three months old now, but a few are still trying to roost on a flimsy deer netting partition that doesn't quite go all the way to the ceiling of the coop. They get up there and find it's not at all the stable perch they thought, but they don't want to jump down. So I peel them off of it each night. I even patched in a bit of deer netting to cover the space between the top of the partition and the ceiling, but they still find a way to get up on it.

You can be reassured that this is temporary. They will get to a size soon where they will no longer fit in those nooks. You can leave them alone or put them back on their proper perch. It's not a critical issue.
 

Similar threads

V
4 weeks old chicks in outdoor coop
Replies
7
Views
1K
rosemarythyme
rosemarythyme
M
Moving Chicks Outside
2
Replies
11
Views
486
Mikski
M
K
When to put outside/ how to chicks to flock?
Replies
6
Views
439
Kalileigh09
K
W
    • Love
Safe to go to the coop?
2
Replies
17
Views
523
woodshouseof4
W
laurenmc40
    • Like
3 week old chicks not sleeping under brooding plate
Replies
1
Views
472
DobieLover
DobieLover

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom