Arizona Chickens

[DesertChic]

I have a question. For baby chicks, it says to decrease the temp 5 degrees per week in the brooder until it's equal to the outside temp. What if the outside temp is higher than the brooder temp? My babies are a week and a half old and I'm worried about how they will handle the high heat when they get outside since it's already going to be 95 this weekend! Will it be harder on them to adjust to it being so hot already? And how old should they be before I let them outside either just to play or full time including overnight? Thanks for the info

I'm dealing with this right now too. I put my Bielefelder chicks outside in a mini-run for the first time yesterday. They're nearly four weeks old and don't need the heat lamp anymore, but I was worried about the outside temps. I gave them plenty of shade and cool water and they did fine, though they did pant heavily much of the day. Chicks cannot regulate their body temps until 3-5 weeks old, so I would suggest that if you put them outside, make sure they have plenty of shade, cool water, and air flow and keep an eye on them. Our warmer temps make it easier to start chicks outdoors sooner, but we still have to make sure not to overwhelm them.

Oh...for what it's worth, my NNs adapted much more quickly to the warm temps than my more feathered birds have.

 

[Diannastarr]

HAHAHAHAHA

YEAH RIGHT......L.O L....

GOOD ONE

 

[City farm]

I believe ideal

What

I believe the name of the hatchery is ideal. I'm not sure you'd have to give them a call

 

[City farm]

I've been so busy and not paying attention, but look what I found today?

& 1 single egg from Faith our bielefelder. The others are from Blondie the SWA

the large one is from our duck Lauren, Faith egg is so pointy.

 

[girlchick]

You sound so much like me during a hatch! I had to rescue a "breech" chick during my last hatch because it pipped at the wrong end of the egg and was wedged in too tightly to be able to unzip the egg and find its way out. As soon as I got him out he was lively and active and has never looked back. He remained much smaller than the other chicks for the first three weeks, but not he's catching up to the others in size. *Sigh* What we do for our babies! LOL!

The two chicks I assisted in hatching are doing great. Sadly, the one with the yolk sack issue is not going to make it. Too much trauma for the little one. She will likely pass away within the hour. I feel awful, but I did what I could for her, she is really small and just didn't rally after I worked with her. or him, not sure. I'll bury the chick in our cemetery under the big tree out front, along side the dogs graves.

I still have 11 darling little fuzz butts, so that's a rewarding feeling.

 

[cyborg]

CHICKEN PALACE (BLOCK 1) NEARING COMPLETION!

It is up to 30' X 30' right now. This weekend I am getting enough kennel panels to put a 10" X 30' annex on the back side. It is presently divided up into 4 ea.10' X 15' pens, with a 10' X 30' pen running down the middle. For the last week or 2, I have been replacing the temporary welded wire roof with 4' X 10' wood and wire roof panels, and then covering them with tarps for shade. I made one of the 10' X 15' pens into a nursery pen by putting that green poultry fencing around the bottom 3 feet of one pen, my golden sex links can go right thru the chain link. Luckily, I caught them before one of my dogs did.
The first roof panel I made was 10 feet by 10 feet, but it is heavy and awkward to handle, so I made the rest of them 4 feet by 10 feet (actually 49 inches, the 4 foot welded wire fits perfectly!).Only about 1/3 done on the roof panels.
The annex will have 2 10 x 10 pens, with the middle 10 foot section being added onto the present 10 x 30 center pen, to make it 10 by 40. Already planted some grape vines along the sides for future shade. Will try to get some pics up tomorrow.

 

[pins2danes]

I'm dealing with this right now too. I put my Bielefelder chicks outside in a mini-run for the first time yesterday. They're nearly four weeks old and don't need the heat lamp anymore, but I was worried about the outside temps. I gave them plenty of shade and cool water and they did fine, though they did pant heavily much of the day. Chicks cannot regulate their body temps until 3-5 weeks old, so I would suggest that if you put them outside, make sure they have plenty of shade, cool water, and air flow and keep an eye on them. Our warmer temps make it easier to start chicks outdoors sooner, but we still have to make sure not to overwhelm them.

Oh...for what it's worth, my NNs adapted much more quickly to the warm temps than my more feathered birds have. 

Thanks for the information! I'm glad your NNs did better but looks like I'll have to be extra watchful when they go out not that unwind be basically mother henning them the whole time probably anyways lol! I'm switching them to a larger brooder this weekend since it's getting a bit too warm on the cool area of their current one and they are fighting more frequently. Also they are already trying to figure out how to make the big escape, they raise their necks up as if they are going to fly or jump out and I can see their thinkers going as to how they are going to do it when I'm not looking haha! Yes I'm that crazy people

One more question. Since I only have one current adult, when it's time to let them out with her do you think it will be a problem to just let them out together instead of the gradual way of letting them see each other for a while? She free ranges all day so I figured sine there's only one of her and 6 of them, they'll outnumber her and have their group for protection. Or will I have to worry about Franny since she's the only one? She's fairly new to me so I have no idea how she does with other chickens or how she'll react but I tell her every day that she's getting babies soon and she just yells at me...

 

[City farm]

Correction.. I believe the small pointy egg is from Molly, the French Bresse

faith egg's would be much larger... Finally we are getting some egg's... e
Oh the 2 broken one's were because I was so excited, I couldn't hang on to them. I knew I should of went to get the basket.. No, I grab my camera.

 

[DesertChic]

Thanks for the information! I'm glad your NNs did better but looks like I'll have to be extra watchful when they go out not that unwind be basically mother henning them the whole time probably anyways lol! I'm switching them to a larger brooder this weekend since it's getting a bit too warm on the cool area of their current one and they are fighting more frequently. Also they are already trying to figure out how to make the big escape, they raise their necks up as if they are going to fly or jump out and I can see their thinkers going as to how they are going to do it when I'm not looking haha! Yes I'm that crazy people

One more question. Since I only have one current adult, when it's time to let them out with her do you think it will be a problem to just let them out together instead of the gradual way of letting them see each other for a while? She free ranges all day so I figured sine there's only one of her and 6 of them, they'll outnumber her and have their group for protection. Or will I have to worry about Franny since she's the only one? She's fairly new to me so I have no idea how she does with other chickens or how she'll react but I tell her every day that she's getting babies soon and she just yells at me...

If it were me, I'd still perform an "introduction" the first day with the chicks protected by some kind of barrier. If she reacts well to them even within that day then loosen the restrictions and increase exposure.

I don't know how old your NNs are, but mine were all roosting on the side of the brooder at 2 weeks old and started searching for higher roosts by 3 weeks. Mine were a bit shy so didn't really stray from the edge of the brooder, but they pooped all over outside of it. I finally had to put the brooder inside of an X-large dog kennel to keep them from flying out while still allowing them to spread their wings, so to speak. When I started putting them outside at 3+ weeks they were ecstatic!

 

[FeatherPugs]

I have two cheeky chickens who insist on getting out of their giant haven. They fly up on the roof of the coop and go down where I have shade cloth. They get back up that way too. One - Lucy - will stay close and just go back up and then stay in. The other - Queenie - one of the chicks hatched this last year just wanders around taking in the scenery and going on a looky-lu walk-about! I kept telling her she was going to get eaten one day if I didn't see her getting out!! Could care less. About 3 weeks or so ago she went missing. I looked all over and didn't find her anywhere. So I figured she got eaten - there are coyotes, raptors, owls. All would like a light-weight white leghorn for a meal!! Then about 2 weeks ago I go out late morning/early afternoon and there she is in the tree by the fence. I went to get her down from the tree and she about had a fit. I then watched her run - right under the porch. Remember the porch has lattice all around with just about a 8" gap at the top of the lattice. Originally put there so they wouldn't get under the porch. We weren't sure that is where she went but I'm not really in a place to get down there and look - about a week went by and I finally had to get under there - yes it hurt like the dickens but had to be done! All just to see if she was indeed under there with a clutch of eggs. Dang if she wasn't BUT was nesting in a piece of fiberglass that had fallen down. So out she comes along with 15 eggs! She was mad, mad, mad BUT settled right down in the nest of straw, clucked and did a little housekeeping and was happy as a lark. This was Thursday evening. I didn't expect chicks - just figured she was broody so was trying to decide how long to wait until I got her a couple of chicks and took the eggs away. This morning I checked water, etc and there was a little chick head sticking up from her wing. She now has two this evening. So we'll get it a few more days - dang cute these little buggers. She has barely moved on those eggs all day!! We put the rooster in freezer camp probably two/three days before she went missing - so apparently there was some fertile eggs left in her!! That's one broody - now her mommy who originally hatched her (Remember Trader Joe's eggs) is again going broody. I'm waiting on the new momma - have put the other brooder cage in the brooder pen and will move broody mommy who will get two new chicks when she moves. She has been sitting on golf balls! Now if all 15 of Queenie's eggs hatch I am in trouble!! I already have 25 full grown hens. This has been a crazy couple of weeks. Sorry ended up being a book but its hard to put crazy chicken stories in a few sentences!!