Taking two week olds out & roosting pole not working.

My "girls" will be two weeks old...TODAY! They're doing great and my daughter's playgroup is doing a unit on birds/chickens. They want us to bring them in tomorrow for a visit that would last about two hours. I was thinking I would only bring two of the four, is this going to be alright? How can I do this safely temperature wise? I was thinking about warming a towel in the dryer to put in the box?

As well, they like to jump up on their feeder and then onto the rim of the aquarium. There's two of them sitting there right now. They fall asleep and look really cute, but I'm worried that if one of them jumps or falls to the floor then they could get in trouble. We have a curious dog. My husband built them a roosting pole but they just use that now as their jumping off point to sit on the edge. It's about 1/2" in diameter and about as high as the top of the feeder, since they seem to like to jump. They look like raptors.
How can I get them to use it?

Oh and I was just reading about square footage and run space. Is 10 square feet per bird really necessary if they're going to be running around the yard most of the day? We are probably only going to end up with 2 or three birds and the coop is 4' X 3', we were going to make the run the same size. Don't they still go outside in the winter or do they need to stay in the coop all day long? Now I'm concerned that it isn't big enough. Sorry, lots of questions. I love information!

The run is a bit small, but if theyre out in the yard constantly they'll be fine. They do go out in the winter, they come equipped with their own down coats especially designed to keep them warm!

I wouldnt worry about heat for that short amount of time. The deal with heat that I dont think people are told is that its a constant thing, an average thing. If your chicks are always at room temperature they will be small and underdeveloped. If they are at room temperature for a few hours, but go back to the required temperature theyre fine.

When a hen hatches eggs she has them out scratching with her during the day, sitting on them from time to time to keep them warm, but by 2 weeks theyre eating what she's eating and eating a lot of it! So theyre out and about scratching and keeping busy. And then back under mom periodically for the nap and heat they require. So if you think of it that way you can see where its really not that big of a deal to have them out for a couple hours. You can pop them under the heater vent in the car there and back and they'll be fine.

As far as the perch, just stick them on it whenever you see them on the other. They'll move to it eventually. I had to teach all my chicks how to use a perch, but once i convinced them they could all roost together on a stick they gave up having a chick pile on the floor.

Have fun!!

i'd also be interested in how to get them to use the roosting poles

I tried a half inch dowel rod with my 2 week olds and they couldn't grip it. I replaced it with a 1.5 inch wide flat plank and they are roosting like supastars now.

Try a wider, easier to sit on surface to get them used to the idea of roosting, and maybe as they get a bit more coordinated, the poles will not be a problem.

i am using a 3/4 inch dowel

wish i would have researched first -- it is drilled into the coop and part of the structure now

my daughter's playgroup is doing a unit on birds/chickens. They want us to bring them in tomorrow for a visit that would last about two hours. I was thinking I would only bring two of the four, is this going to be alright?
Sure
How can I do this safely temperature wise? I was thinking about warming a towel in the dryer to put in the box?Sounds good. A hot water bottle wrapped in that same towel would last longer, I would think.

As well, they like to jump up on their feeder and then onto the rim of the aquarium....but I'm worried that if one of them jumps or falls to the floor then they could get in trouble. We have a curious dog.
Cover that aquarium and get them into a bigger, safer brooder pronto. They double in size weekly, as you have no doubt learned, so...
A. Their current quarters are ever shrinking
B. It will get easier to get out unless you cover the top.

Dogs and chickens are generally a dubious mix. You might get lucky - but you may not. Dont take the chance.

My husband built them a roosting pole but they just use that now as their jumping off point to sit on the edge. It's about 1/2" in diameter and about as high as the top of the feeder, since they seem to like to jump. They look like raptors.
How can I get them to use it?
They are too young to want to roost. They will "go up", though, as you've noted. It's their nature. For now it's more of a "jungle gym," which will work as such if they have no other options.
Put a lid on that tank, and they will have no more options but the perch. Get them into something bigger, soon, too.

And you are right - they look like raptors, because they are akin to them. Look at their beak and those claws and watch them closely. The resemblance grows as they do.
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Oh and I was just reading about square footage and run space. Is 10 square feet per bird really necessary if they're going to be running around the yard most of the day?
In confinement, yes. There will be days where they do not run around for whatever reason - always plan for what you think is needed. Then double it.

We are probably only going to end up with 2 or three birds and the coop is 4' X 3', we were going to make the run the same size. Don't they still go outside in the winter or do they need to stay in the coop all day long? Now I'm concerned that it isn't big enough.
And rightly so. 12 sq ft of interior space for 2-3 birds is fine for nesting and roosting, but not for adults in the run. Oh, it can be done - and people do it - but it will be a funky, poopy morass before long. Can you say waste mangement issues?
And just wait till it rains. Wet, damp and funk is the worst combination for chickens.
My chickens get a minimum of 87.12 sq ft/bird in the run. If I cannot give that, I decrease their numbers until I can. Why that number?
Because that is the least amount of space you can keep them in and still rely on the earth to process their waste.
70% of what a chicken eats goes back out as wet droppings. Were you aware of that? Think about that for a moment- 2.8 ounces per day, 19.6 ounces per week, 1,019.2 ounces per year of volatile manure... PER BIRD... left to lay on the landscape. THis says nothing of their scratching and tearing up the surface. Any greenery in sight? Gone. Flowers? History.
Any drainage issues where they will be sited? Uh, oh, that's bad.

Dump those two things, manure and scratching, in a haphazardly chosen space that is too small and you might want to consider a toxic waste permit for your locale.

They're currently in an 80 gallon tank which is what we planned to use until they went outside, we don't really have another option.

Um, did you say "87.12 square feet"? Like, eighty-seven square feet? I'm confused.
The biggest number I ever saw was 10 square feet per bird. Our yard is huge and they will spend most of the day in the yard with access to their coop. We don't plan on containing them to their run.
Oh and another thing, once they're full size can I leave them out in our fenced yard while we're out doing errands during the day or should they be in the run. We obviously need to make it bigger but 87 square feet?!!

Quote:
Do you not know about cardboard box brooders? They are free and ever so easy to acquire and dispose of. Rent to own places have the best cardboard dumpsters out back!

That would be good, but is it necessary? I only have four birds. You look like you have quite a few more...I'm jealous.