Ameraucana and Few OBuffs with my Girl.

[rlcoxiii37]

I'm new to all of this. Eight eggs appeared over the past week, my birds are about 10 months old and the temp is in the low 40's to mid 30's in WA. Heat lamp is in the outdoor coop but RC (Rooster Cogburn) and the Peckers are staying to one side of the heat lamp and not laying on the eggs. I'm assuming due to the nature of the BO's I need to turn the heat lamp off and maybe they'll brood? Coop is approximately 2.5'd (maybe a little more with brooder) x 3'w x 2.5h , good upper ventilation, and a fair amount of hay. In the garage I have a separate cage for chicks with wood chips if I need to transfer them? .Should I move the chicks to the garage after acclimating with the other birds to keep the warm for the next 6 weeks or so? I'm at the base of a mountain and the sun is down around 3pm and it's only going to get colder.


On a side note,my girl use to help me round up the chickens...now they walk between her legs...****!

r

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[gander007]

Alright

Have a great Time

gander007

 

[petrel]

Welcome to BYC.

I'm not sure about your housing question, but I think you just need to a place to keep the chicks at a relatively controlled temp. I started here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens for temperature guidance for chicks.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Your hens will go broody if and when they are ready - you can't rush mother nature.

 

[roostersandhens]

 

[TwoCrows]

to BYC!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello Welcome To BYC and Happy Holidays! Cute picture of the pup and chickens, almost like she lined them up. I am not sure what you are asking, but like sourland said, hens go broody when they want to, you can't really make them. Orps are a broody breed, and most do eventually go broody, but they will probably still lay a couple of months before they start, especially if they are hatchery birds. There are a couple of articles in the BYC Learning Center on broodys, here is one https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/broody-hens Check out the other articles on adding to your flock etc.
So far as coop size goes, the usual recommended size is 4 square feet per bird inside, and ten square feet per bird in the run. At 30-40*F ten month old healthy chickens don't need supplemental heat, I would turn it off.
Young chicks do need supplemental heat, not sure if you have some, or are wanting a broody to hatch some? The general rule of thumb is chicks should be at 95* the first week and lower the temp 5* a week, once they are fully feathered (8 weeks or so) they are usually pretty cold hardy. It is easiest to integrate birds into an existing flock when they are about the same size. If you have a broody hatch chicks, if you have enough room, you can usually leave the chicks with her in the coop and they will be assimilated into the flock while she is watching them.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! Happy you joined us today!

 

[rlcoxiii37]

Thanks for the link and the response, I'm sure it will all work out. I found a local hatchery in town and will talk to them as well. Great forum for advice.