7 Week Old Pullets Excaping

[Arielle]

Earlier today, my 7 week old pullets were finding little holes in the cover and escaping. I worried they wouldn't be able to get back to the safety of the brooder. They had about outgrown the brooder in my kitchen and wanted out! Can't blame them as the weather is finally breaking, cool, but warmer. But the coop isn't even started yet. Okay, second option. . . .

WE gutted the storage shed removing shavings, bags of grain, horse blankets, you name it! DH covered any holes large enough for predators; haven't seen anything around for years, but we took precautions anyway. New shavings, new roosts. By 7 pm we were carting the girls out in a cat carrier 5 at a time. Just gotta have some friends to keep each other company upon arrival at a new and scary home!

Put in some old and familiar things,too. Same bag of shavings, same feeder, same waterer. A new home can be so stressful.

WE put up the heat lamp because it's about 32 outside tonight. Much colder than our 60-70 degree house. I'll put the girls up on the new roosts and monitor them thru the night. I'm glad they're out of the house but worried about the new accommodations . . . this is stressful!!! I thought I would be happy to have them out of the kitchen, the empty box is . . .empty. No chick noises. I miss them!

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Oh, noooo! The First Night Outside! And a chick-less house!!

That may be why I keep hatching chicks, so I never have to go without that sound from the bathroom.....

 

[OHGrandma]

Quote:
Oh, noooo! The First Night Outside! And a chick-less house!!

That may be why I keep hatching chicks, so I never have to go without that sound from the bathroom.....

Sounds like you really fear the 'Empty Nest Syndrome'!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Oh, noooo! The First Night Outside! And a chick-less house!!

That may be why I keep hatching chicks, so I never have to go without that sound from the bathroom.....

You're so good at making up excuses Linda

I just keep telling DH that I can't control the chick population because I suck at breaking broodies.

 

[Wisher1000]

I brooded in a cardboard box in the garage. When the time came to move them, I cut a door in the side of the box and moved the whole thing to the floor of the coop. They could run around, fly up to the roosts, and explore but came back to their box and lamp to sleep and get warm. Just a thought...

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

I got spring fever, and although I was at my "agreed upon" limit.....I brought home 12 chicks...

(that was my DH's response).

I've promised to only raise them for 6 weeks or so...LOL. then sell them

? I just really missed the fuzzy butts!! It had been 6 months. I was having withdrawals. My last "babies" just started laying!

 

[Arielle]

I hear you!!! Because mine are 7 weeks they are all feathered out so when I went to the feed store and saw pretty yellow fuzzies, I just had to have them!! I feared DH would explode when he came home . . . . a few questions but then he was reaching in the brooder to talk to the new arrivals! WHeew!!!

 

[Arielle]

We made it thru the night! ME and the chicks! Got much colder than I wanted in the coop and couldn't jury rig the second lamp at 1:30 am! DH put a second heat lamp in after dawn I'll make some hot food for them this morning: eggs and porrage.

Will cut down the old brooder and put that in as suggested by Wisher1000

I brooded in a cardboard box in the garage. When the time came to move them, I cut a door in the side of the box and moved the whole thing to the floor of the coop. They could run around, fly up to the roosts, and explore but came back to their box and lamp to sleep and get warm. Just a thought...

Thanks for your good wishes and laughter, too!