Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

The Hooligans turn 2 weeks old today and together we have just had an adventure none of us want to repeat.
I have moved them into the garage as a half way house before going out to the brooder in the coop. I was worried about them going straight from 70 degrees in the bathroom to low 40s maybe even high 30s at night.
So this morning was moving day - and these little babies pack like they are going on a major expedition. There is food, and shavings, and bowls, and branches and it all needs carrying out to the garage. I figure heat plate goes first as they never use it in the daytime in the bathroom anyway and then it will be ready for them when I bring them.
It is 45 degrees in the garage.
What I had not thought through was transporting the chicks themselves and I made some rookie mistakes!
I can't carry them in the pop up tent - being pop up it has like a canvas base not a solid base. In retrospect I probably should have carried them in that and accepted they would be thrown together as it sagged down. But I thought I would use the basket I brough them home in which has a hinged top.
Oh boy!
Suffice to say that for 12 days they have lived in my bathroom with almost no mess at all and now from this morning's activities I have little chicky poops all over my towels and my bath mats.
Bella flew out of the basket when I opened the lid to pop in Lulu. Bridget hopped out but then flew to the towel rack. My nerves are shot.
A serious question - how do 2 week old chicks behave if they are too cold? They haven't been under the heat plate since I moved them out and I am worried they can't find it. They are certainly chirping, but they are also eating and drinking and running around. I don't want to stress them any more than they already are by herding them under the plate. My gut says they are OK, but them my gut said I could safely put all three into the little carrying box! Any thoughts?

If it’s safe, you can do it. But like I said before RC, just don’t let them near the car keys, if they are all in the garage.

 

[Ponypoor]

The Hooligans turn 2 weeks old today and together we have just had an adventure none of us want to repeat.
I have moved them into the garage as a half way house before going out to the brooder in the coop. I was worried about them going straight from 70 degrees in the bathroom to low 40s maybe even high 30s at night.
So this morning was moving day - and these little babies pack like they are going on a major expedition. There is food, and shavings, and bowls, and branches and it all needs carrying out to the garage. I figure heat plate goes first as they never use it in the daytime in the bathroom anyway and then it will be ready for them when I bring them.
It is 45 degrees in the garage.
What I had not thought through was transporting the chicks themselves and I made some rookie mistakes!
I can't carry them in the pop up tent - being pop up it has like a canvas base not a solid base. In retrospect I probably should have carried them in that and accepted they would be thrown together as it sagged down. But I thought I would use the basket I brough them home in which has a hinged top.
Oh boy!
Suffice to say that for 12 days they have lived in my bathroom with almost no mess at all and now from this morning's activities I have little chicky poops all over my towels and my bath mats.
Bella flew out of the basket when I opened the lid to pop in Lulu. Bridget hopped out but then flew to the towel rack. My nerves are shot.
A serious question - how do 2 week old chicks behave if they are too cold? They haven't been under the heat plate since I moved them out and I am worried they can't find it. They are certainly chirping, but they are also eating and drinking and running around. I don't want to stress them any more than they already are by herding them under the plate. My gut says they are OK, but them my gut said I could safely put all three into the little carrying box! Any thoughts?

I used to call it herding cats...

Now I call it herding chickens...

Same concept: pick up one, put it in a box slam the lid down, pick up another shove it under the lid fast.... Get a third carefully lift lid to shove it in, first one flies out, throw third one in, slam the lid down... Wait what? How did the first two get out??

And so it goes hahaha.

I think your wee ones are ok, I bet at night they will clump under the brooder and fall fast asleep!

 

[Ponypoor]

Hmmm OK I guess I'm harping on this now and I'm truly not mad about it but I'd like to comment that this April Fools joke apparently had an element of duress in it. Reporting & enforcement notes? I do not approve of that. I'd like to point out the joke the moderators picked was not a particularly innocent-fun one, which it could have been.

Virus/hack scares are too real. In my past day-job I saw how many people have had their identities stolen. Despite our own security measures we encountered ransomware too (and our great and very expensive IT contractors were prepared and saved a very, very serious situation). So I would have been gullible through experience (besides by nature - yep that's me), but many people who are here on BYC are likely not very computer-literate but have heard the scary stories.

Whatever happened to the buttermilk-instead-of fresh-milk-in-the-carton kind of jokes? How about a wild and interesting new chicken breed, behavior or egg story? A fantastical thread that got pushed?

Yes I understand your frustration, for about a few minutes I was trying to figure it out... I finally clued in...

The issue was in my opinion the duration of it. April Fools jokes are intended until noon day of. Maybe they were unawares of the unwritten rule for this.

Hints could have been had to let person know it was a joke/farce, I am sure there was no malice intended, it just got out of hand.

Hiding/filtering out the texts from those who figured it out was likely not a good move, and would have gone a long ways to assuage the fears of some people.

The one good thing it did do was start an awesome conversation on personal Id/names. Many were truly hilarious.

 

[Ponypoor]

Hmmm OK I guess I'm harping on this now and I'm truly not mad about it but I'd like to comment that this April Fools joke apparently had an element of duress in it. Reporting & enforcement notes? I do not approve of that. I'd like to point out the joke the moderators picked was not a particularly innocent-fun one, which it could have been.

Virus/hack scares are too real. In my past day-job I saw how many people have had their identities stolen. Despite our own security measures we encountered ransomware too (and our great and very expensive IT contractors were prepared and saved a very, very serious situation). So I would have been gullible through experience (besides by nature - yep that's me), but many people who are here on BYC are likely not very computer-literate but have heard the scary stories.

Whatever happened to the buttermilk-instead-of fresh-milk-in-the-carton kind of jokes? How about a wild and interesting new chicken breed, behavior or egg story? A fantastical thread that got pushed?

Yes I understand your frustration, for about a few minutes I was trying to figure it out... I finally clued in...

The issue was in my opinion the duration of it. April Fools jokes are intended until noon day of. Maybe they were unawares of the unwritten rule for this.

Hints could have been had to let person know it was a joke/farce, I am sure there was no malice intended, it just got out of hand.

Hiding/filtering out the texts from those who figured it out was likely not a good move, and would have gone a long ways to assuage the fears of some people.

The one good thing it did do was start an awesome conversation on personal Id/names. Many were truly hilarious.

 

[RoyalChick]

I used to call it herding cats...

Now I call it herding chickens...

Same concept: pick up one, put it in a box slam the lid down, pick up another shove it under the lid fast.... Get a third carefully lift lid to shove it in, first one flies out, throw third one in, slam the lid down... Wait what? How did the first two get out??

And so it goes hahaha.

I think your wee ones are ok, I bet at night they will clump under the brooder and fall fast asleep!

You got it exactly. I needed a fishing net. Or three boxes!

I am feeling less anxious about it as both Bella and Lulu have definitely found the heat cave. I don’t thin Bernadette has yet, but she seems fine. It is tonight I will get worried again but I will put a camera on them to check.
Back to my fence and preparing the coop brooder for them for tomorrow.

 

[rural mouse]

The Hooligans turn 2 weeks old today and together we have just had an adventure none of us want to repeat.
I have moved them into the garage as a half way house before going out to the brooder in the coop. I was worried about them going straight from 70 degrees in the bathroom to low 40s maybe even high 30s at night.
So this morning was moving day - and these little babies pack like they are going on a major expedition. There is food, and shavings, and bowls, and branches and it all needs carrying out to the garage. I figure heat plate goes first as they never use it in the daytime in the bathroom anyway and then it will be ready for them when I bring them.
It is 45 degrees in the garage.
What I had not thought through was transporting the chicks themselves and I made some rookie mistakes!
I can't carry them in the pop up tent - being pop up it has like a canvas base not a solid base. In retrospect I probably should have carried them in that and accepted they would be thrown together as it sagged down. But I thought I would use the basket I brough them home in which has a hinged top.
Oh boy!
Suffice to say that for 12 days they have lived in my bathroom with almost no mess at all and now from this morning's activities I have little chicky poops all over my towels and my bath mats.
Bella flew out of the basket when I opened the lid to pop in Lulu. Bridget hopped out but then flew to the towel rack. My nerves are shot.
A serious question - how do 2 week old chicks behave if they are too cold? They haven't been under the heat plate since I moved them out and I am worried they can't find it. They are certainly chirping, but they are also eating and drinking and running around. I don't want to stress them any more than they already are by herding them under the plate. My gut says they are OK, but them my gut said I could safely put all three into the little carrying box! Any thoughts?

Put the box in the brooder, load chicks, close box, remove from brooder, move brooder, move box back into brooder, open box, expect explosion followed by sudden stop.

 

[RoyalChick]

Put the box in the brooder, load chicks, close box, remove from brooder, move brooder, move box back into brooder, open box, expect explosion followed by sudden stop.

Yes. Wish I had thought of that!
I am another year and another load of laundry wiser!
By the way, Bernadette is an impressive young lady. She can shriek, fly, and poop, all at the same time.

 

[rural mouse]

Yes. Wish I had thought of that!
I am another year and another load of laundry wiser!
By the way, Bernadette is an impressive young lady. She can shriek, fly, and poop, all at the same time.

I've had experience moving multiple chicks before. Cheetah's group was in a tote in the garage for brooder. We just packed the whole thing out, then moved them into the fenced area. This time left the tote inside, moved food/water, then came back for babies (didn't box them until ready to move).

 

[Ponypoor]

So this morning grandma managed to get out of the bed without waking mom up who was sleeping in the recliner just feet away from her. She comes to my room and starts pounding on the wall giving me a heart attack shouting we missed the bus. I jump up mid panic and then look at the clock. It is 5:10 am, the bus does not run until 6:45. I'm about to cry in frustration trying to tell her the bus does not run for over a hour. She responds "while your up make some coffee and muffins". I did, but it was not how I wanted to spend my morning

Bet that got the old heart pumping

I sure do empathize with your situation, and know how stressful it is; you want to keep her safe and sound.

You are an awesome granddaughter to get IP and make coffee and muffins at 5am

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes. Wish I had thought of that!
I am another year and another load of laundry wiser!
By the way, Bernadette is an impressive young lady. She can shriek, fly, and poop, all at the same time.

Sounds like @rural mouse has herded a few cats over the years!