Coop Project: Maken the Plunge & Getting Chickens

[Rock Home Isle]

After a day of rain and periodic snow bands, we wake up this morning to a nice blanket of wet spring snow.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Not a lot of snow in our neck of the woods.

Mostly cold and wet. But two of the girls are comfy and warm in the nest boxes this morning.

While the other two wander the yard, trying to stay out of the snow.

 

[GardenNut]

Such pretty girls!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I'm pretty partial to them. The big girls are well behaved, and my little Wellies are so active.

Your comment was nice to read. Thank you for that....

 

[Rock Home Isle]

During yesterday's storm, my big girls spent most of the day going through their daily routine of foraging in the yard and digging for grubbies in the garden. It surprised me, because this group of girls DOES NOT like snow.

After dark, when the brunt of the storm hit our area, I went out to check on things see how the girls were doing. I found everyone of them roosting on the top of the fence outside the coop, soaking wet and dusted with snow. The one on the outside of the roosted group was covered with snow. They looked sad and pathetic. I got a towel and dried each of them as I put them into the coop. As I'd pick one chicken up and dry her off, the next one in line would move over so that I could better pick them up next, like a little conveyor. I had to laugh while I did this during the snow storm...in my slippers. These silly birds. :/

When my current group of hens were pullets, the Ameraucanas that I had picked on these girls and drove them out of the coop on several occasions. It is why my experience with the Ameraucana was such a short lived endeavor of just one year. My current girls will sometimes still roost outside the coop. I've tried to adjust this behavior, and it works for a few days, but chickens are hardwired. Once they "learn" something it can be next to impossible to "re-program" them. But I keep trying.

 

[aart]

I set up my brooder last week. This is the same setup that I have used for years. It really works well. Because the container is an all glass aquarium, the chicks can see immediately when I enter the room, so they don't startle when I look into the tank and do what ever work needs be done.

Have you had any problem with excessive heat in your aquarium brooder......both from ventilation only at top and being in a sunny window?

 

[LilyBird]

Aart directed me to your post. I'm also going to be setting up a fish tank brooder for my little chicks I'm getting this weekend. I had hoped to put them in front of the window too. Any issues I should consider about using a tank as a brooder? thanks I enjoyed looking at all of your pictures!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

This early in the year, there is not much of a problem. I would NOT set up the brooder in the window after late May.

If its going to be a hot day, then I don't open the blinds that day before going to work. There are also curtains, and I leave them closed enough so that there is a nice shady area in the brooder for the chicks to get out of the sun.

I came home from work today and put the girls out on the back patio for an hour or so. They definately need more time outside. They seemed so overwhelmed by the experience. After a short time they seemed to get a bit chilled because they were crawling all over me, so I loaded 'em up and brought them in.

They very quickly returned to their routine behavior. They are so fun to watch as they grow and go through almost daily physical changes. It always amazes me how much chicks grow in such a short period of time.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Here is a look at the brooder with the shades pulled fown.

And here is what happens within a couple minutes (or less) after I take off the top of the brooder.

Yeah it's getting time for these girls to be outside.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Aart directed me to your post. I'm also going to be setting up a fish tank brooder for my little chicks I'm getting this weekend. I had hoped to put them in front of the window too. Any issues I should consider about using a tank as a brooder? thanks I enjoyed looking at all of your pictures!

I set my brooder up in late March, cool warm days and chilly nights prevail in my region at that time of year. So I really had no great concerns about tge exposure that the chicks were experiencing.

It's now the latter part of April, so conditions are still acceptable. My main concern has been drafts. Windows can be very drafty, that would not be good for small chicks. The location is not ideal, but my regular location is now my library. I really didn't want the chicks in there...

Also, my heat lamp is a 100 watt light that I picked up at a local pet shop. The 250 watt lights at the feed store are just too much for this setup.

The girls are doing fine and feathering well. Everyone looks happy and healthy...in a week or so I'll be moving these girls outside, to replace my current flock.