Causes for concern?

DeutschHühner

Chirping
Dec 7, 2017
22
27
59
Saarland, Germany
I'm touching on several subjects here in one post. I hope that's okay. I'm kind of PANICKED!

My Sussex chicks are almost seven weeks old. We had to move them outside into the coop earlier than planned… (they outgrew the brooder I had made for them.) Our coop is a re-purposed, all wooden garden shed, approximately 6ft x 9 ft with a vaulted roof, a concrete floor, a rickety window on one side (well fortified from predators), the main doors (fairly tight) and then a door opposite the window we made for them to reach the run. Here in Germany, we’re having on again/off again freezing temps and snow from time to time. We ran electricity to the coop and put a heat lamp in.

1.) At what point should I remove the heat lamp and let them depend on their own body heat? Should I keep it in there all winter? If not, is there a temperature point where I should put it back in?

2.) We are trying the deep litter method. I have 25 kilos / 600 liters of pine shavings in there on top of a piece of linoleum on top of a concrete floor. The shavings are 4-6 inches deep. I’ve read accounts of folks only changing that stuff out once or twice a year. It’s only been two weeks and the poop to shavings ratio is starting to alarm me (we have nine chicks, again seven weeks old.) Also, last night I noticed a few of them had dried poop on their feet. I used a moist paper towel to gently clean it off but I’m concerned that I’m doing something wrong… or just not often enough. I dusted the shavings generously with DE and I turn the bedding once a day to try and get any new stuff underneath. I just don’t see how it can go months without changing.

2a.) Lots of people remarked at how the shavings and poop can go right into the composter. As with raising chickens, I’m also new to composting. Will months (or even weeks) worth of poop from a coop our size be too much for the composter? Our composter is only about 3x3x3 feet.

3.) I’ve already noticed condensation on the windows at night. Does this mean there is not enough ventilation? I thought since the window is just sort of loosely fitted, that air would be able to get in both through there and through the small gaps around the run door.

Otherwise, the birds seem fine. Growing and warm enough. Today I finally finish the run and I think they will enjoy being outside for the first time.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
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1) Now. Yesterday. Although if it's getting suddenly colder they won't have had time to acclimate. I'd turn the light off for gradually extended periods of time, then take it out.

2) Stir and add a fresh layer on top as needed. Some people will scoop it as needed.
2) a. You can make a new composter. Just use a wire roll, form a circle and zip tie it closed.

3) Condensation does mean not enough air circulation/ventilation. Can you open the upper part of the window, if it's over their heads when they're roosting? Is it covered with wire cloth and predator proof?
 
When to remove the heat lamp depends on the temperature outside and the size/age of your chicks.

If you can, add a photo so we can get an idea of your setup. And yes, you do need to improve the ventilation in your coop.
 
I'm heading out there in an hour to put the finishing touches on the run and I will shoot back some photos of our set up. To be clear, by condensation I mean the windows are a little "foggy" (as opposed to dripping with water.) The window is covered with hardware cloth and predator proof so I can crack it open a bit, but I think I may have to rethink the position of the roost I installed. Perhaps I can open the window and leave the shutters closed? The run is fortified as well, so I could try leaving the run door opposite the window open a little, too, for additional circulation. But I'll let you guys review the photos and give me the scoop. Thanks for your quick responses!
 
3.) I’ve already noticed condensation on the windows at night. Does this mean there is not enough ventilation? I thought since the window is just sort of loosely fitted, that air would be able to get in both through there and through the small gaps around the run door.

Yes condensation is bad, you need lots of draft free ventilation. condensation will cause frostbite. I see 1 square foot per bird often recommended here. You will have to do the conversion to metric. Open the window and turn off the heat.

JT
 
Most of these questions are interlinked. How cold the chicks can stand will depend a lot on your coop. By seven weeks they should be able to handle any temperatures adults can handle, you are past the age when age matters in that regard. They should be fully feathered out. There are plenty of people that do not worry about adding heat above -30C (-22F). A lot don’t add heat then.

To keep themselves warm chickens need two things in really cold weather, good ventilation and protection from breezes hitting them. Good ventilation means the coop has the ability to exchange good air for bad. That means you need to get rid of the moisture from their breathing, their wet poop, any thawed water, or any other water in the coop. High humidity increases the risk of frostbite. If the moisture level is high they can get frostbite with temperatures just below freezing. With lower moisture levels they can easily handle temperatures well below -30C and not have frostbite.

The other issue is a breeze hitting them. Not a gentle movement of air like you might get in your house near a window of door that does not seal properly but a breeze strong enough to ruffle their feathers. They keep themselves warm by trapping tiny air bubbles in their feathers and down, just like the down coat you may wear when it gets really cold. If a wind hits them strong enough to ruffle their feathers and let those tiny air pockets escape they can get cold. Gentle air movement is good, that gets rid of excess moisture. But they need to be protected from direct breezes.

Your goal is not to give them a warm place to stay. Your goal is to give them a place they can keep themselves warm, much like the wild birds that overwinter where you are. Those wild birds have the freedom to get out of direct breezes if they need to and they have great ventilation.

There are different ways to achieve good ventilation and breeze protection. Some specially designed chicken coops use a cul de sac method, have one end pretty open but the back area is designed so breezes do not blow through that area. The one I like better, especially when you are retrofitting a coop instead of building from scratch, is to have openings up high above their heads. That way any breezes are over their heads. Some people hang baffles inside to reduce direct breezes. Lots of different ways to approach this. If your coop roof has an overhang an easy way to do this is usually to open up the area at the top of the walls (protect from predators) so you get high air movement but the overhang keeps rain and maybe some snow from blowing in. I don’t have any special square feet recommendations. Roof vents and gable vents will move a lot of air. The larger the holes are the more air they will move. One 4 cm x 4 cm hole will move more air than four 2cm x 2cm holes although they have the same total square cm area.

Since you have been providing heat I suggest you slowly wean them off the heat as Altfrizzle suggested. In less than a week you should have them acclimated.
 
It’s only been two weeks and the poop to shavings ratio is starting to alarm me (we have nine chicks, again seven weeks old.) Also, last night I noticed a few of them had dried poop on their feet. I used a moist paper towel to gently clean it off
...and those are just tiny 'baby poops'! Don't worry about cleaning their feet, chickens often have poop on their feet. The DE may be making 'cement' out of the poops, I have this issue when using sand in the brooder, so maybe back off on that....it doesn't do much anyway. There are many ways to manage manure, I use a poop board to extend the usefulness of the shavings on the floor and get the poop to the composter daily.

Welcome to BYC!
 
Sorry for the late reply. Life.

Here is our set up. 1. This is the rickety window. 2. View of the front and left side. 3. Inside, looking out the window. I think I'll have to raise that roost. 4. Same view with window open. 5. Looking across to opposite side. Waterer with nipples (AWESOME!) feeder, practice roost and door to run. I went ahead and took the heat lamp out. 6. The grand entrance. 7. GOOD NEWS! The fog I thought I was seeing on the windows, upon closer inspection, appears to just be gunk that has been on the windows since my father-in-law put weather coating on the shed! I'll keep an eye out but condensation/ventilation may not be as big of a problem in there as I had thought. 8. This is the front and the right side with the run and run door. We put more sand in there today and the girls immediately came out to explore. I'm putting even more sand in tomorrow to "raise" it up a bit. 9. Close up of run door. (my "steps" didn't turn out like I wanted but I was kinda over it that day so decided to just go with it. Anybody think they are in danger of injury with the wood slightly split like it is?)

So... THANK YOU for all the replies and advice! Having already removed the heat lamp earlier today, should I just keep it out or let them have it at night. It's well past nightfall here and they've likely already settled in.

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