fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[fuzzi]

One thing I forgot to mention: I bought some solar motion-sensor lights and mounted one on the shed so that it will highlight the coop if there is a "visitor" at night. No camera, yet.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hard to know if it's just the dirt, bugs or what - chickens love dirt in general.

It's a given that chicks are going to waste feed, they are just messy it seems, but the box may help reduce that a little bit.

 

[fuzzi]

Working on the roost!

I took my two best pallets and leaned them against each other, adjusting until I got the angle I wanted. I slipped a couple 2x4s through to help keep them upright while I inserted long wood screws.

I wanted to use some 2x8 boards across the top, but they didn't cover the pallet end openings, so I yanked a couple boards off other pallets to fill in the gaps, screwed them down tightly:

Then I was able to add the larger boards to make a nice level roosting area on top:

I did use a piece of lattice as a shim, you can see it in the middle, where the boards meet

Then I added 2x4 pieces to make stairs, but staggering them as much as possible to prevent the chickens from on each other:

All the 2x4 steps are attached to both pallets. The entire roost felt solid when I moved it over to the side of the coop.

Once the chicks leave the brooder I will move this to the spot under the tarp and put some straw underneath. The base is wide enough for even me to reach under it, or rake it out.

 

[fuzzi]

Nasty cold wet day (40°F), so I did NOT remove the chicks from the brooder for their "playtime", as I didn't want them to get chilled. I'll give them some time out of the brooder tomorrow when I get home from work.

 

[fuzzi]

Chicks are 15 days old!

It is supposed to be very cold (for us!) all week, below freezing overnight, so even though they're quite active they need to stay in the brooder when I'm at work.

I'm thinking of putting the brooder on the ground (it's currently up on blocks) and leaving the door open for their short excursions, during the day to start but not until I'm home, like Friday. Too soon?


This afternoon after work I put the chicks in their playpen while I cleaned out the brooder. I removed all the dirty straw in the brooder and replaced it with clean stuff. I also added a mirror, a 4" diameter tree stump, and a branch I wedged in tightly. They can practice their roosting just above the top of the MHP.

New setup:

"Mirror, mirror..."

They're also exercising their wings, a couple are taking short "flights". One fluttered out of the brooder and onto the stool, then turned around and fluttered back inside.

They're getting so big!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

They will probably be fine as long as they have plenty of bedding underneath them and the heating pad cave is where they can snuggle under.
You do want to make sure their cave can't "collapse", but when I've used heating pad caves and it's going to be cold, I put another towel on top, then add some straw or shavings as extra "insulation". I've had chicks outside when the temps were in the 20s and they were good to go, they'd come out eat/drink/play in the unheated areas, then run under the pad for a warm and to take naps.

You want to be home to let them out. While chicks usually are pretty good at finding their way back to heat/food/water, it's best to be around until you are confident they can.

 

[fuzzi]

They will probably be fine as long as they have plenty of bedding underneath them and the heating pad cave is where they can snuggle under.
You do want to make sure their cave can't "collapse", but when I've used heating pad caves and it's going to be cold, I put another towel on top, then add some straw or shavings as extra "insulation". I've had chicks outside when the temps were in the 20s and they were good to go, they'd come out eat/drink/play in the unheated areas, then run under the pad for a warm and to take naps.

You want to be home to let them out. While chicks usually are pretty good at finding their way back to heat/food/water, it's best to be around until you are confident they can.

Thank you for your reply!

Temps tonight are supposed to dip to 28F so I'm planning on adding more straw under and behind the MHP when I get home tonight. There's already a layer on top.

I leave for work while it's still dark, so they'll just have to deal with a little confinement until I can leave the brooder door open.

 

[3KillerBs]

I must have missed an update since I stopped getting notifications for this thread.

The babies are utterly adorable!

My son asked today what we would do with the chickens if we had a hurricane. The hoop coop is open at foot level, reducing wind pressure against the sides, but I was wondering if sinking tie-down stakes at the four corners might be a good idea.

This is probably a good idea since you're much closer to the coast than I am. Also be aware of flooding potential for a serious storm.

This is what I did for Ian: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/prepping-coop-and-run-for-wind.1550228/

The bottom of the brooder is deep in wasted feed.

This is 100% normal.

Waste diminishes once they're big enough for you to hang the feeder and once they're strong enough to scratch for feed in the bedding.

 

[fuzzi]

I must have missed an update since I stopped getting notifications for this thread.

The babies are utterly adorable!



This is probably a good idea since you're much closer to the coast than I am. Also be aware of flooding potential for a serious storm.

This is what I did for Ian: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/prepping-coop-and-run-for-wind.1550228/



This is 100% normal.

Waste diminishes once they're big enough for you to hang the feeder and once they're strong enough to scratch for feed in the bedding.

Thanks for your input!

We have lived in this house since 2006, experienced several hurricanes though none major. The ground gets soggy but only the street floods. The street slopes towards the woods, and the water drains away once the storm passes. If we get a storm I'll probably take down the tarp, crate up the chickens and put them in the shed (10' x 16').

I wonder if I could leave them in the coop with some sort of shelter like the pallet A frame roost?

They're scratching around the straw, and I noticed them preening earlier. They also are roosting for short periods on the stick I added.

 

[3KillerBs]

They also are roosting for short periods on the stick I added.

That's so very, very cute!