I have 3-to-5-day-old chicks. They hatched beginning Mon. through Wed. this past week under my hen Buffy. This all took place in a setup in the garage due to big storms that came through. Last evening, Fri, I moved them all into the small coop/run separated by the adults' run with hardware cloth. This is indeed a tiny coop, so the entire setup is in the run (until the chicks get big enough to go up the ramp and roost with mama).
The run is 3' wide X 10' long. It's very short (See Pic - it's from Last Summer).
My concern is keeping drafts out yet keeping the temps in that run being warm enough for the chicks but not too hot for mom.
I've left the plastic hanging down over the run walls on the long S and N sides with 1-2" space at the top for ventilation. I can also prop 2x4s along points at the bottom to keep out drafts on cold draft days or just cool but very windy days.
I figure I should keep cool air/drafts out from the screen "window" that's open to the adults' run and its breezes. That window is 27" X 27". I covered most of it today with plastic fearing the chicks would get chilled.
Temps: this a.m. it was 39° F out, but it's up to the 70s this afternoon, and suddenly it's 86° in that run. (The humidity is just 22%.) I feel like that's good for the chicks but it's not always the best for an adult chicken. She looks like she's doing OK right now, but tomorrow & Monday it's supposed to get up into the eighties (& I'll be at work Monday et al). Buffy is a bantam Cochin.
On Monday, the chicks will be 5 to 7 days old.
I DO have the ability to remove or open some parts of the run.
(The outside picture doesn't show the plastic down. Rooster in doorway is useful to show scale!)
Thank you for any thoughts!
The run is 3' wide X 10' long. It's very short (See Pic - it's from Last Summer).
My concern is keeping drafts out yet keeping the temps in that run being warm enough for the chicks but not too hot for mom.
I've left the plastic hanging down over the run walls on the long S and N sides with 1-2" space at the top for ventilation. I can also prop 2x4s along points at the bottom to keep out drafts on cold draft days or just cool but very windy days.
I figure I should keep cool air/drafts out from the screen "window" that's open to the adults' run and its breezes. That window is 27" X 27". I covered most of it today with plastic fearing the chicks would get chilled.
Temps: this a.m. it was 39° F out, but it's up to the 70s this afternoon, and suddenly it's 86° in that run. (The humidity is just 22%.) I feel like that's good for the chicks but it's not always the best for an adult chicken. She looks like she's doing OK right now, but tomorrow & Monday it's supposed to get up into the eighties (& I'll be at work Monday et al). Buffy is a bantam Cochin.
On Monday, the chicks will be 5 to 7 days old.
I DO have the ability to remove or open some parts of the run.
(The outside picture doesn't show the plastic down. Rooster in doorway is useful to show scale!)
Thank you for any thoughts!
