- Feb 23, 2012
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Happy first day of Spring!
Our babies just turned 4 weeks old on Sunday and they are so wonderful - we're in chick heaven. I am so sad for people who don't or can't have chickens.
My question is whether or not it's ok to let them outside for a few hours of a day when the weather's nice like this. They're feathering out nicely, a couple are close to done, but no one's there yet. Is it ok to let them out, then back in the brooder before it cools off? These are our first chickens, and I'm "a little paranoid" ; ) about them picking up diseases if they're not old enough to walk around in the grass. We have two dogs who do walk around out there when we let them outside, and our chicken coop is about 50 yards away from the part of the yard where we'd let them exercise. We also have a very lonely guinea roo that's in the coop and run.
Here's my Biosecurity question: With that guinea roo, we fostered 10 RIR hens for a week in the coop and run (friends were moving and their rehoming didn't go as planned...anyhow...) My question is when it's time for the chicks to exercise outside, and then finally move out to the coop, how safe can I assume it is for the babies? Or do I need to sanitize the coop? The hens weren't out of the run, so the yard where we'd exercise them should be safe. Oh, help. I'm a new mama - can you tell? LOL!
Thanks!
- Jenn
Our babies just turned 4 weeks old on Sunday and they are so wonderful - we're in chick heaven. I am so sad for people who don't or can't have chickens.
My question is whether or not it's ok to let them outside for a few hours of a day when the weather's nice like this. They're feathering out nicely, a couple are close to done, but no one's there yet. Is it ok to let them out, then back in the brooder before it cools off? These are our first chickens, and I'm "a little paranoid" ; ) about them picking up diseases if they're not old enough to walk around in the grass. We have two dogs who do walk around out there when we let them outside, and our chicken coop is about 50 yards away from the part of the yard where we'd let them exercise. We also have a very lonely guinea roo that's in the coop and run.
Here's my Biosecurity question: With that guinea roo, we fostered 10 RIR hens for a week in the coop and run (friends were moving and their rehoming didn't go as planned...anyhow...) My question is when it's time for the chicks to exercise outside, and then finally move out to the coop, how safe can I assume it is for the babies? Or do I need to sanitize the coop? The hens weren't out of the run, so the yard where we'd exercise them should be safe. Oh, help. I'm a new mama - can you tell? LOL!
Thanks!
- Jenn