Chicks outside??

[gander007]

Hi! I'm about to get my first chicks on Tuesday and I have quite a dilemma. Friday many relatives are coming in for the weekend, so the room I was going to use will be occupied for two nights, so I thought about going ahead and putting them in the coup since it's so warm out there. I put an outdoor thermometer inside and it's 102F with the door open (it will have to close if they're in there), two screened windows opened and a vent near the roof. What do I do? I don't have a spare bathroom and the laundry room isn't big enough. Should I put them in my bedroom? If so, will it be impossible for us to sleep? Help!!

Just keep them safe ...



This EE pullet has 16 chicks under her and it is 104 F in the coop
so you should be just fine and close the door at night for safety
of the chicks .......

 

[smcottrell]

 Hi 
Rodent/varmint proof. I was out at the poultry yard today and surprised a chipmunk
at the base of the maple tree. It couldn't go up because I was towering over it...so it
ran right thru the chicken wire and out the other side of the poultry yard. Too bad it
was so fast. I am sure the birds would have loved to have eaten it. But it did remind
me that mice and chipmunks can go right thru chcken wire. Maybe a reason to affix
a bicycle hook to the rafters of the roof of the yard and hang the chicken feeder every
night. Right now it sits on a large cement block all the time.
 Best,
 Karen

Oh I can imagine! I bet it was funny to watch. I know my run is not rodent proof because of the chicken wire, but my coup is very solid. With that said, I will be watching for chewing. It will take a lot to chew through it though as nails hardly go through it.

 

[nuttyboo]

You can freeze a couple vinegar bottles and place a couple in coop it'll give some relief without dropping temp drastically

 

[smcottrell]

You can freeze a couple vinegar bottles and place a couple in coop it'll give some relief without dropping temp drastically

Thank you!

 

[Phoenixxx]

So, last night I did what probably no-one else would do. The forecast overnight low was only going down to 15 celsius so I thought, to heck with it! and put my barely-2-week-olds in the coop. Some of the girls from my previous hatch, now 5.5 weeks old, took it upon themselves to play mama and snuggled with the babies, covering some with their wings Anyway, all is well, nobody froze to death and everyone's getting along!

 

[Demidog]

So, last night I did what probably no-one else would do. The forecast overnight low was only going down to 15 celsius so I thought, to heck with it! and put my barely-2-week-olds in the coop. Some of the girls from my previous hatch, now 5.5 weeks old, took it upon themselves to play mama and snuggled with the babies, covering some with their wings

Anyway, all is well, nobody froze to death and everyone's getting along!

Glad to hear that! Mine are between 2 and 6 weeks old and I've been putting them out during the day and bringing them in at night. Our forecast here is to be 17 C tonight and I'm leaving them out all night for the first time! I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep well tonight! I'm worried about a predator getting in and eating them as well as them freezing to death.....fingers crossed till the morning

 

[Phoenixxx]

 Glad to hear that! Mine are between 2 and 6 weeks old and I've been putting them out during the day and bringing them in at night. Our forecast here is to be 17 C tonight and I'm leaving them out all night for the first time! I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep well tonight! I'm worried about a predator getting in and eating them as well as them freezing to death.....fingers crossed till the morning 

If they have a cozy corner with no drafts they'll be fine, I'm sure! Mine sleep in the bottom nest shelf that has a curtain drawn across the front and a ramp out the side to get in and out. The height of that shelf is only 12" with the bottom couple inches filled with hay; the wall the shelves are built into is insulated. As long as they have a means of keeping their body heat contained around them is the key, i think. My first hatch went out at just over 3 weeks old when the nights were still going down to 10 c. All were being put outdoors for the days since 2 days old. Like someone earlier in this thread said, "I can't afford to have fragile chickens", lol!

 

[Jewellan]

I put my second batch of chicks into the Garden coop yesterday, they went through a thunderstorm and didn't flinch, but when it started to get dark they were a little nervous. I picked a couple of them up and they snuggled into my hair for a bit. I knew they would be okay, and they were. Surprisingly three of them slept on the ground under the inner coop and two slept in the nesting box inside, and it was the two Blue Favaucanas that slept inside. Thought that was a weird coincidence. Anyway they are loving it and I am very happy about it.