Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[Sweetpea3829]

When I was brooding Guineas I had to clean the brooder about every two or three days. My next brooder is going to have a wire bottom so I can cover it with Rubbermaid shelf liner while they are teeny and then when they get older That comes out and now they poop through the grid on a disposable medium like newspaper..... Roll it up poop inside out it goes.

deb

So they can sleep and whatnot, right on the wire bottom? Ours has a thick layer of pine bedding.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: No I would have a spot with Some bedding. But the food and water would be over cage wire. This is where the majority of mess comes from. Them spilling feed then spilling water then it all mixes with poo to make a stinky goo. If you put a low perch up some will perch on that too to get up off the floor.

deb

 

[Sweetpea3829]

No I would have a spot with Some bedding. But the food and water would be over cage wire. This is where the majority of mess comes from. Them spilling feed then spilling water then it all mixes with poo to make a stinky goo. If you put a low perch up some will perch on that too to get up off the floor.

deb

Ok, thanks!!! We need to figured out a better food dish anyways. The one we have, they manage to get all kinds of poo and bedding in there. At least the bedding issue would be solved by putting it over a wire grate.

 

[piglett]

Hey guys, when can my chicks go outside full-time? They're three weeks old and THEY STINK! I have a Superyard XT that I put them in when I'm outside with the kids, but it's a bit rainy so we're all inside for the next couple of days. I was thinking I could put the chicks in the Superyard, cover it with a tarp to keep rain out and maybe they'll be good?

Or is it too soon? Temps are a bit low, too...high 60's, low 70's. They're not under the heat lamp anymore, though.

BTW, when I put them in the superyard, I cover it with a net to keep them in and the cat and dogs out. I tie the net down. I'd like to keep them outside permanently, but our chicken coop isn't even started yet.

depends how many you have
if 50 they will keep each other warm no problem as long as they don't get rained on
if you only have 5 them you better change the pine bedding often for a couple more weeks.

 

[ozexpat]

i think you still use the heating element that came with your bator
the controller just keeps the temp from over heating
OZ where you at?

If using on a styro bator I just turn the built in thermostat way up and set the digital at temp. If you have a fan - it will go on and off with heat. You may want to direct wire the fan.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: What I have done with other cages for what I call Tweenagers is use a regular rabbit sized transport cage then cover the wide wire at the bottom with Plastic hardware cloth. The plastic is cleanable and a bit softer on the footies. On one end of the cage I made a tray out of a cardboard box lid for shavings on the other end I put the water and food. Part of the mess with food and water is they want to scratch and kick bedding into the water which causes the water to wick out of the waterer. In a tub that fills the Whole bottom with water All the bedding gets wet. LOL... I had 40 keets at the time cute little buggers but they are Jack booters running and stomping and kicking stuff around. Id find them splatted over the chick feeder head in feet out..... Sound asleep. I tried raising the food and water up off the floor but them buggers grew too fast.

I havent built my next brooder yet but it will have three wooden sides and a hardware cloth floor. Designed around the physical dimensions of a cleanable plastic tray of some sort. This way I could put a tray of bedding in there for the littleuns. Rubbermaid drawer liner would go down over paper towels for the Peeps So they can learn to eat the little bits from a very low dish. But once they are full on eating out of a feeder that liner would come out to uncover the plastic overlayed hardware cloth bottom.

I also want to rig a feeder and waterer that can be accessed from the outside. Because I cant rely on my helpers to be able to reach in to the brooder..... Long story. But I am SO done with tub brooders.

deb

 

[Sweetpea3829]

depends how many you have
if 50 they will keep each other warm no problem as long as they don't get rained on
if you only have 5 them you better change the pine bedding often for a couple more weeks.

Yeah, we have 8...lol. What does the minimal temp need to be for them outside? I'm not expecting the daytime lows to stay this low for more than a day or so. Nighttime lows will probably routinely dip into the mid 60's all summer.

We've been changing the bedding once a week...but I'm sniffing that's not enough.

 

[ozexpat]

Yeah, we have 8...lol. What does the minimal temp need to be for them outside? I'm not expecting the daytime lows to stay this low for more than a day or so. Nighttime lows will probably routinely dip into the mid 60's all summer.

We've been changing the bedding once a week...but I'm sniffing that's not enough.

week 1 - 95
week 2 - 90
week 3 - 85
week 4 - 80
week 5 - 75
week 6 - 70

 

[Sweetpea3829]

week 1 - 95
week 2 - 90
week 3 - 85
week 4 - 80
week 5 - 75
week 6 - 70

Oh gosh!!! I think mine have been at about 70-75 for the last week! OOPS! They seem to be doing alright, though. Not huddling together or anything.

 

[ozexpat]

Oh gosh!!! I think mine have been at about 70-75 for the last week! OOPS! They seem to be doing alright, though. Not huddling together or anything.

Those are the numbers in the text books.

You should just assess the birds and adjust accordingly. I dont use a light after 3 weeks for my tropical birds. It gets down to 78 at night.