Blue Laced Red Wyandotte THREAD!

[gladahmae]

I think I will put a space heater in there with them, at least at first.

Just make sure you're being REALLY REALLY CAREFUL about using/securing/monitoring it. Over in the Michigan thread (and it's a whopping 9 degrees here this morning) the standing consensus is to avoid heaters, period. If you have an unheated garage or basement or breezeway/mudroom where the outdoor temperatures are moderated by the building I would put them in there for a week or 2. (I don't have any of those, so I understand how this can be an issue, and it's why I don't hatch between October and March.) I'm sure you've considered it, but it's always a good reminder, especially since a lot of people read but don't post.

 

[Our Roost]

blessedholler, What are you looking for ? Are you considering showing, breeding or just want good looking healthy chickens? I recently purchased 3 blrw's from Meyers hatchery out of Ohio. I must say that they are fat and sassy and looking beautiful at 7 months. I do not have a cockerel of this breed, but would not be opposed to use these to replenish my stock. Their colors are very vibrant and the markings are very good.

 

[DMRippy]

I don't heat my chickens either. I tell people to NOT heat coops for birds that have been outside. new chicks that have been under heat is different. you chat just toss them out and hope they are ready for a 40 degree temp swing.

 

[heirloomorps]

We don't heat our coops either. We brood in the house for 1-2 weeks, then move them to an insulated building with a heater (60-70 degrees) and gradually reduce heat in there. When they are fully feathered they move again, to a shed with no heating and we gradually reduce the lamps. In the north I would not brood chicks in the winter either!

And yes, Silkies are harder to keep warm because their feathers don't insulate as well.

 

[delisha]

A few suggestions about acclimatizing chicks to outdoors:

You are spot on with taking them out during the day. Decrease temps in your house and get them off all heat indoors. See if you can get your indoor temps for them to 60 at night. They will be fine. Outdoors during days..inside at night for a few weeks.
Put a thermometer in your coop and see what the temps are at night. If the inside of the coop is 40-50 with the chicks body heat, they will be fine. Just make sure they have ventilation with out direct drafts.

Don't use a heat light..use your Brinsea in the coop. I use a really large cardboard box upside down with an entrance hole and the Brinsea inside. It warms the whole inside of the box up to about 50 degrees when the coop temps are at 30. They use it to quick warm up and dash out again to play and hunt.

I would like pictures of your coop..it scares me when you say it is not only insulated but air tight. They need air flow. Lots of air flow and good ventilation. A coop that get to 30 at night with chicks in feather is fine. After about a month they would be fine with out any heat. I watch the birds. They tell me when they are fine with out heat.

Your chicks look healthy..time to get them out of the house during the day.

 

[delisha]

Here is more pictures

x

x



I am not crazy about his comb. To be honest it looks like too many leaders. The indent needs work too.

His leg color is not right...you need to add better color. (I do like the bird *type*). It looks like a split leader in this picture too.
I would add better combs to your line and yellow legs. This is not show stock, but it has enough to work with IMO. Look for a few pullets with really yellow legs and good combs. Replace your male with a breeding from his type with yellow legs.

 

[delisha]

I think BLRW are such beautiful chickens. I would like to add a few to my flock. Can you recommend a source for healthy chicks? Thank you!

Many people on here sell chicks..
There is a breeder directory available.
It all depends on if you want pets or breeders.

 

[Farmer Viola]

I know.. I am crazy/stupid for doing it in the winter!!! >.<
chalk it up to inexperience and sheer will from excitement? lol

And yes, Silkies are harder to keep warm because their feathers don't insulate as well.

Thanks for confirmation, I thought this would be the case!

I don't heat my chickens either. I tell people to NOT heat coops for birds that have been outside. new chicks that have been under heat is different. you chat just toss them out and hope they are ready for a 40 degree temp swing.

They haven't been under the Brinsea heat for about 2-3 weeks, they just get the heat of my house. At night they are probably too warm, I notice them panting when they are all piled up.

Today they are getting their first experience outdoors. The run has a tarp over all but 1 wall so they are out of any wind or rain. I also put a big cardboard box out there with straw in it so they could get cuddly if they need to. They seem fine, they have been out there for 30 minutes so far, their bodies are warm under the wing when I touch them, but their feet are cold. The dirt floor is obviously the coldest. I could spread straw over the dirt, what do you think? It'd be a lot of straw, but worth it? The big box is the only straw right now.

Just make sure you're being REALLY REALLY CAREFUL about using/securing/monitoring it. Over in the Michigan thread (and it's a whopping 9 degrees here this morning) the standing consensus is to avoid heaters, period. If you have an unheated garage or basement or breezeway/mudroom where the outdoor temperatures are moderated by the building I would put them in there for a week or 2. (I don't have any of those, so I understand how this can be an issue, and it's why I don't hatch between October and March.) I'm sure you've considered it, but it's always a good reminder, especially since a lot of people read but don't post.

I have an outbuilding, it's not insulated. The coop would actually be warmer since it is insulated. What I am going to do, is move my 1 week old chicks out of the chicken room to another warm room.
Then, I will try to drop the temperature at night in the chicken room (inside my house) to 60ish tonight. I have wood heat, not central air, so I can close the door to block off heat and maybe open a window a crack. It will be an experiment.

A few suggestions about acclimatizing chicks to outdoors:

You are spot on with taking them out during the day. Decrease temps in your house and get them off all heat indoors. See if you can get your indoor temps for them to 60 at night. They will be fine. Outdoors during days..inside at night for a few weeks.
Put a thermometer in your coop and see what the temps are at night. If the inside of the coop is 40-50 with the chicks body heat, they will be fine. Just make sure they have ventilation with out direct drafts.

Don't use a heat light..use your Brinsea in the coop. I use a really large cardboard box upside down with an entrance hole and the Brinsea inside. It warms the whole inside of the box up to about 50 degrees when the coop temps are at 30. They use it to quick warm up and dash out again to play and hunt.

I would like pictures of your coop..it scares me when you say it is not only insulated but air tight. They need air flow. Lots of air flow and good ventilation. A coop that get to 30 at night with chicks in feather is fine. After about a month they would be fine with out any heat. I watch the birds. They tell me when they are fine with out heat.

Your chicks look healthy..time to get them out of the house during the day.

Thank you Delisha!!!

I will leave a thermometer that shows record high/low in the coop tonight, and I will try and bring my house down to 60 degrees for them. I love the idea of putting the brinsea in the coop in a box. Much better plan than space heater, I think. Heater and heat lamps make me very nervous for fire hazard. I have a huge cardboard box that will work perfectly inside the coop, right now it's in the run w/straw. I will go take pictures.

The coop has cross ventilation in the ceiling, we looked up the best way to do ventilation and here is what we did. The ventilation is at the top of the coop, one on the right and one on the left so air can flow through. My husband used vents like you would use for a house, I don't know what they're called but they're metal grates. The roost will be positioned out of the breezeway. The coop is being finished today, and I still have to paint the inside, and it still has to dry, so we are probably 2 or 3 days away from being able to use it. Which is fine, since I am transitioning over many days anyway. What I mean by sealed: my husband built it "like a house" with insulation and caulking in the cracks so they wouldn't have any drafts from weird places. The paint will be the final seal. what do you think?

 

[Farmer Viola]

outside view of coop + run - showing air vents on coop. a tin roof is being added

other side

chicks in the run -- silkie in front looks cold

turned the box upside down, added brinsea, cut a door, pushed chickens inside lol

See the square door to the coop? There are 2 doors, one is behind the box. added air flow

silkies getting warmed up

of course they come right out. but mommmmmmm

 

[Nickeechickee]

blessedholler, What are you looking for ? Are you considering showing, breeding or just want good looking healthy chickens? I recently purchased 3 blrw's from Meyers hatchery out of Ohio. I must say that they are fat and sassy and looking beautiful at 7 months. I do not have a cockerel of this breed, but would not be opposed to use these to replenish my stock. Their colors are very vibrant and the markings are very good.

Ooo Mine will be coming from Meyer, hopefully she will be pretty too! I've gotten nervous with everyone saying hatcheries sell inferior birds, but I just want yard candy so am not willing to shell out the dough for breeder quality.