Coop temps

[appleacres]

Hello everyone,

My guineas are 3 weeks old and definitely ready to get into a larger space. I have read they need to live in the actual coop that will be there home for quite a while in order to think of it as their home and not just go wild into the woods and roost in trees at night. Problem is now we are about to have lots of cold weather and actually a bit of snow! The coop walls are just pine boards, so there are some cracks (the walls and floor are lined with heavy duty 1/4" wire to prevent predator chewing) in addition to windows at the top, all with the purpose of ventilation. By using some insulating sheets in one half, and a heater, I have gotten the temp up to 55 degrees when it is 40 degrees at night within that corner, plus they will have the two Brinsea heat plates, but they are only 3 weeks and the temps are going to go down to the high 20s with snow the next few nights). My partner was suggesting more insulation of the walls, possibly creating some sort of cave to trap the heat in, but I feel like the pine shavings will make them sick if there is not enough air, and also insulating a small area doesn't make a space that's much bigger than what they have now in our house. What are people's thoughts on temps? What is the minimum temp you have had, in addition to using Brinsea Heat plates (most can still fit under them, but not 100%), and how much should I be concerned about the ventillation--(it's possible to remove some of the ventillation during the day when it gets up into the 60s) Options I currently have for more heat are to add a heat lamp which I don't like because it lights up their sleeping time and I am nervous about it falling, or to insulate the coop more. To give you an idea--it is a 6x10 coop (interior dimension), with a shed roof and windows all across the high side of the roof, so if I insulated the walls I would still have air up above (but of course, heat rises...)

Thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

One should be very concerned with ventilation. Pine shavings alone won't make them sick. Humidity, bacteria, viruses and fungi will make them sick without adequate ventilation.
https://www.grangecoop.com/how-to-r...inea keets must be kept,easily if you do this.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hello everyone,

My guineas are 3 weeks old and definitely ready to get into a larger space. I have read they need to live in the actual coop that will be there home for quite a while in order to think of it as their home and not just go wild into the woods and roost in trees at night. Problem is now we are about to have lots of cold weather and actually a bit of snow! The coop walls are just pine boards, so there are some cracks (the walls and floor are lined with heavy duty 1/4" wire to prevent predator chewing) in addition to windows at the top, all with the purpose of ventilation. By using some insulating sheets in one half, and a heater, I have gotten the temp up to 55 degrees when it is 40 degrees at night within that corner, plus they will have the two Brinsea heat plates, but they are only 3 weeks and the temps are going to go down to the high 20s with snow the next few nights). My partner was suggesting more insulation of the walls, possibly creating some sort of cave to trap the heat in, but I feel like the pine shavings will make them sick if there is not enough air, and also insulating a small area doesn't make a space that's much bigger than what they have now in our house. What are people's thoughts on temps? What is the minimum temp you have had, in addition to using Brinsea Heat plates (most can still fit under them, but not 100%), and how much should I be concerned about the ventillation--(it's possible to remove some of the ventillation during the day when it gets up into the 60s) Options I currently have for more heat are to add a heat lamp which I don't like because it lights up their sleeping time and I am nervous about it falling, or to insulate the coop more. To give you an idea--it is a 6x10 coop (interior dimension), with a shed roof and windows all across the high side of the roof, so if I insulated the walls I would still have air up above (but of course, heat rises...)

Thanks!

We didn’t get our last set of brooded juveniles into the coop until 2 mo old. They stayed in the coop only for three weeks, then I started letting them out through a pop door into a temporarily fenced area (with supervision). They learned to go in through the pop door by dusk. They have been great (knock on wood) at cooping up at night ever since. So, you could keep yours where you have electricity until they are a bit older and feathered, then introduce to their coop when temps warm a little without fearing that they won’t identify the coop as home. I really think that training them to use their door at dusk has been key for our flock.

 

[appleacres]

We didn’t get our last set of brooded juveniles into the coop until 2 mo old. They stayed in the coop only for three weeks, then I started letting them out through a pop door into a temporarily fenced area (with supervision). They learned to go in through the pop door by dusk. They have been great (knock on wood) at cooping up at night ever since. So, you could keep yours where you have electricity until they are a bit older and feathered, then introduce to their coop when temps warm a little without fearing that they won’t identify the coop as home. I really think that training them to use their door at dusk has been key for our flock.

Yes, the problem is that I don't have any sort of space big enough in my house as they get older unless I construct something new. I will try to keep experimenting with ways of keeping the coop warmer. But good to know about your training that is basically how I was planning on doing the training. Does anyone have any experience with keeping keets outdoors at lower temps?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Yes, the problem is that I don't have any sort of space big enough in my house as they get older unless I construct something new. I will try to keep experimenting with ways of keeping the coop warmer. But good to know about your training that is basically how I was planning on doing the training. Does anyone have any experience with keeping keets outdoors at lower temps?

I don’t. Maybe someone else from a company keet area? Have you been decreasing the temp by 5 degrees F per week? What temps are they at now? If you can get them into something temporary in your garage or some such and lower the temp every week, they will be able to withstand outdoor temps pretty soon, maybe by 6 weeks old if not too cold. Do you have a brooder plate? That might be safer in your coop. You could fashion a cage around it to keep them near and they can go in for some heat when cold. You can do the same in garage space. A dog kennel or crate can work as temporary housing...

 

[appleacres]

I don’t. Maybe someone else from a company keet area? Have you been decreasing the temp by 5 degrees F per week? What temps are they at now? If you can get them into something temporary in your garage or some such and lower the temp every week, they will be able to withstand outdoor temps pretty soon, maybe by 6 weeks old if not too cold. Do you have a brooder plate? That might be safer in your coop. You could fashion a cage around it to keep them near and they can go in for some heat when cold. You can do the same in garage space. A dog kennel or crate can work as temporary housing...

They are currently comfortable and happy in 68 degree temperatures with the heat plates, which I know is not what you are told to have the temp at (at 3 weeks it would be 85 degrees technically) but they are completely fine, and active, and only go under the heat plates at night. I started at 95 degrees, but soon found they were alright with ambient temps in my house as long as they had the heat plate option. I don't have a garage or a basement, just my bathroom and they are pretty smelly even though I clean everything 3x per day haha! I don't mind it, but the bathroom space is starting to get small for how large they are. And yes I have two brooder plates, so I was initially planning to try to get the ambient temp of the coop at 65 degrees, but also have the two heat plates. I also have one of those Thermochicken heat pads I could lay against the wooden wall. Another option would be to move them into a temporary shelter inside the garage up at my farm, using two big wooden apple crates pushed together, so at least they are not having to deal with the wind and snow-- I have just been hesitant to go with this option because I want to get them into their actual coop for 3-4 weeks before they start free ranging, but if the weather is going to suck I may not have a choice! The temp in there is already 55 degrees since it's a basement, so I would only need a bit of extra heat in the room.

 

[R2elk]

They are currently comfortable and happy in 68 degree temperatures with the heat plates, which I know is not what you are told to have the temp at (at 3 weeks it would be 85 degrees technically) but they are completely fine, and active, and only go under the heat plates at night. I started at 95 degrees, but soon found they were alright with ambient temps in my house as long as they had the heat plate option. I don't have a garage or a basement, just my bathroom and they are pretty smelly even though I clean everything 3x per day haha! I don't mind it, but the bathroom space is starting to get small for how large they are. And yes I have two brooder plates, so I was initially planning to try to get the ambient temp of the coop at 65 degrees, but also have the two heat plates. I also have one of those Thermochicken heat pads I could lay against the wooden wall. Another option would be to move them into a temporary shelter inside the garage up at my farm, using two big wooden apple crates pushed together, so at least they are not having to deal with the wind and snow-- I have just been hesitant to go with this option because I want to get them into their actual coop for 3-4 weeks before they start free ranging, but if the weather is going to suck I may not have a choice! The temp in there is already 55 degrees since it's a basement, so I would only need a bit of extra heat in the room.

I start my keets at 90°F measured at the bedding level. By the time they are 3 weeks old, I have mine down to 75°F. At two weeks old I take mine out of the brooder and move them to my grow out pen.

At that time their only heat source is a red heat lamp in one corner of the grow out pen. It is about 2' off of the ground. They typically sleep under the lamp at night but spent most of the day scurrying around in the unheated areas.

I believe your keets will do fine if provided one place that they can get to heat in this coop. Pick one corner. They will go to and from the heated spot as they need to.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

They are currently comfortable and happy in 68 degree temperatures with the heat plates, which I know is not what you are told to have the temp at (at 3 weeks it would be 85 degrees technically) but they are completely fine, and active, and only go under the heat plates at night. I started at 95 degrees, but soon found they were alright with ambient temps in my house as long as they had the heat plate option. I don't have a garage or a basement, just my bathroom and they are pretty smelly even though I clean everything 3x per day haha! I don't mind it, but the bathroom space is starting to get small for how large they are. And yes I have two brooder plates, so I was initially planning to try to get the ambient temp of the coop at 65 degrees, but also have the two heat plates. I also have one of those Thermochicken heat pads I could lay against the wooden wall. Another option would be to move them into a temporary shelter inside the garage up at my farm, using two big wooden apple crates pushed together, so at least they are not having to deal with the wind and snow-- I have just been hesitant to go with this option because I want to get them into their actual coop for 3-4 weeks before they start free ranging, but if the weather is going to suck I may not have a choice! The temp in there is already 55 degrees since it's a basement, so I would only need a bit of extra heat in the room.

Those guidelines for ambient temperature are if you aren’t using a brooder plate. If you are using a brooder plate, then their behavior is more important and it sounds like you already have a handle on that. I agree with R2Elk that if you can get your brooder plate outdoors and protect them from wind and drafts, then that should work. Two weeks is still pretty small, so you might consider blocking them into a smaller area near the brooder plate in the beginning so they don’t get lost and forget where the plate is. Good luck! I hope you’ll let us know how it goes!

 

[appleacres]

Those guidelines for ambient temperature are if you aren’t using a brooder plate. If you are using a brooder plate, then their behavior is more important and it sounds like you already have a handle on that. I agree with R2Elk that if you can get your brooder plate outdoors and protect them from wind and drafts, then that should work. Two weeks is still pretty small, so you might consider blocking them into a smaller area near the brooder plate in the beginning so they don’t get lost and forget where the plate is. Good luck! I hope you’ll let us know how it goes!

Thanks--yes they are 3 weeks, so going into their fourth week. I put them in and they so far seem to be ecstatic to be in a place with so many new things, especially high perches, I think they were getting bored. But I will keep checking on them.

The one thing I have noticed is that they are pecking at the wood shavings. I used paper towels for the first three full weeks because I read they could eat the shavings when they were young, but now I have switched. I can't tell for sure if they are just pecking around because there is food that has been scratched out of the feeder, or if they are actually eating the wood shavings, hopefully they will figure it out. They are also eating their food and they have grit, water, etc. They just seem to be exploring everything.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Thanks--yes they are 3 weeks, so going into their fourth week. I put them in and they so far seem to be ecstatic to be in a place with so many new things, especially high perches, I think they were getting bored. But I will keep checking on them.

The one thing I have noticed is that they are pecking at the wood shavings. I used paper towels for the first three full weeks because I read they could eat the shavings when they were young, but now I have switched. I can't tell for sure if they are just pecking around because there is food that has been scratched out of the feeder, or if they are actually eating the wood shavings, hopefully they will figure it out. They are also eating their food and they have grit, water, etc. They just seem to be exploring everything.

We clearly need some pictures of your little munchkins! If you have them in shavings, then grit is a good idea. I’ve had keets get impacted with crap they eat, including puppy pads. Amazingly, the ones that hatch in the coop with a guinea hen seem to do fine with the coop shavings, though I give them chick grit right away.