5 week old chicks fight when they see me

[aart]

I'm in WI where temps have only been in the 50's during the day and down to low 30's at night. My buffs don't seem fully feathered yet but close, but I think I'm being overly cautious.

Where are the chicks now....is the ambient temp the same as outside?
Do you still have a heat source in with them?

 

[Chxlove]

Where are the chicks now....is the ambient temp the same as outside?
Do you still have a heat source in with them?

We keep our house at 68-70° so it's not the same at all as outside. They do not have a heat source anymore though. I removed the brooder plate about a week ago.

 

[aart]

We keep our house at 68-70° so it's not the same at all as outside. They do not have a heat source anymore though. I removed the brooder plate about a week ago.

It's a good idea to expose them to cooler temps before the big move.
Can you block the brooder room off, block the heat in there, and crack open a window?

 

[Kriscam]

Thanks everyone! We are kicking it into high gear to get the coop ready. I'm hoping they'll be outside within a week to week and a half. We haven't had time to fence in the run yet otherwise the coop without the run is basically ready. I've been unsure because I'm in WI where temps have only been in the 50's during the day and down to low 30's at night. My buffs don't seem fully feathered yet but close, but I think I'm being overly cautious.

Also comparing my brooder to setup to Kriscam's, wow! My chicks are clearly bored. They have 1 roost that they all fit on, and last week I introduced a treat stick and some grit. They're not loving the treat but do love the grit. They mostly used the brooder plate to roost and poop on and I wanted to get them used to less heat so I took that out (also for more space). Now I feel guilty they'll be in there another week! Any suggestions on what I can do to help them be entertained? Mostly they seem to spend their time digging for larger wood pieces in the pine shavings and chasing each other around.

Hi Lindsey - The outside temps in Eastern WA and chicks' age finally converged and I've been taking them outside for increasingly longer periods each day this week in our bug/screen tent. It's 10x10 and has no floor so they can chase bugs and eat grass. The first couple of days I had a space heater out there and they stayed pretty close to it, but now they run all over in there. The best part - the aggressive behavior stopped! I also am sweating having their coop and run ready, but think I may just keep taking them out for longer periods and that will help if their new home isn't quite ready at the right time. An added bonus is they are more comfortable with me taking them in and out of the carrier. I hope the time I've spent with them will result in cuddly hens! Good luck to us both!

 

[Kriscam]

I'm in central Texas and our 3/3 hatch chicks went into our outdoor brooder on 3/27/21. They were 3 weeks plus a few days old. Our outdoor brooder is basically a 6' x 12' chicken tractor with a 2' deep x 2' tall x 4' long coop built onto the side with a hinged bottom to make cleaning easy.

They huddled for warmth at night and run, scratch, eat, sunbathe and play all day. If the temps aren't too cool, once they're nicy feathered- BOOM- outside they go.

And yes, our new dog really really wants to eat all the chickens.
View attachment 2612957

Does your dog make your chicks nervous?

 

[Coops Dad]

Does your dog make your chicks nervous?

Well, the dog's been around the chicks since they hatched so they're used to her. These wi come right up to the wire and check her out. The Ameracaunas in the other pen, though, are a different story. She makes them very nervous.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Thanks everyone! We are kicking it into high gear to get the coop ready. I'm hoping they'll be outside within a week to week and a half. We haven't had time to fence in the run yet otherwise the coop without the run is basically ready. I've been unsure because I'm in WI where temps have only been in the 50's during the day and down to low 30's at night. My buffs don't seem fully feathered yet but close, but I think I'm being overly cautious.

Also comparing my brooder to setup to Kriscam's, wow! My chicks are clearly bored. They have 1 roost that they all fit on, and last week I introduced a treat stick and some grit. They're not loving the treat but do love the grit. They mostly used the brooder plate to roost and poop on and I wanted to get them used to less heat so I took that out (also for more space). Now I feel guilty they'll be in there another week! Any suggestions on what I can do to help them be entertained? Mostly they seem to spend their time digging for larger wood pieces in the pine shavings and chasing each other around.

When mine were getting bigger and still in a brooder, i felt so bad because I knew they needed more stimulation. I would bring all of them outside and put them in a dog pen fence thing. No roof, so i sat outside with them allllll day while their coop was being built. That was a crazy time. Before doing that, i would cut pieces of the lawn outside, with soil attached and put that in brooder. They loved the sod. Once my hubby yelled at me for digging holes all over the yard, (b/c he tripped in a hole while mowing) i knew i had to get them out even if that meant sitting with them all day outside. It was hot too but we managed.

 

[Kriscam]

When mine were getting bigger and still in a brooder, i felt so bad because I knew they needed more stimulation. I would bring all of them outside and put them in a dog pen fence thing. No roof, so i sat outside with them allllll day while their coop was being built. That was a crazy time. Before doing that, i would cut pieces of the lawn outside, with soil attached and put that in brooder. They loved the sod. Once my hubby yelled at me for digging holes all over the yard, (b/c he tripped in a hole while mowing) i knew i had to get them out even if that meant sitting with them all day outside. It was hot too but we managed.

That's looking great! Before our coop & run were ready, we put ours on the lawn in a 12'x12' bug screen tent (no floor) during the day and back in the brooder indoors at night. I could zip them up safely and they had plenty of room to play. When we had to bring them into the air conditioned garage in the afternoons and evenings during a severe heat wave for several days, we put a piece of sod in one of those cheap kiddie pools and they loved it. I threw a little scratch on it and it relieved their boredom when they were in "chickie jail." They are going to love their new home when you are finished!