Heating Baby Chicks in Summer

[lazy gardener]

"A bit cramped for space" will result in problems. Perhaps not now, perhaps not next month. But, you are sure to see those issues crop up when the birds reach sexual maturity. Search the threads here, and you'll find all kinds of examples. Many of the stories go something like this: "My girls have always gotten along well together, and even got upset if one of them got separated from the rest. Now, the Alpha hen has started attacking the one at the bottom of the pecking order, and most recently the others have joined her in the attacks. This morning, I found Gertie with her comb torn and the feathers on the back of her neck ripped off. What should I do?"

While free range is a good thing, you can't depend on it. Hawks, as well as all sorts of other predators, including neighborhood dogs will make it necessary for you to shut them into their run. You will also most likely need to shut them into the run for a while to train them to the nest when they start to lay. And if the run is not predator proof, you will have to shut them into the coop at night, every single night.

I don't say these things to be mean. I do say this to help you avoid problems down the road that can be caused by crowding.

 

[Grace Berestecky]

Thanks for the advice! @jeria, @KikisGirls, @lazy gardener, @debid, @Wyorp Rock

 

[crystal spencer]

Grace,
Momma's heat pad is the best way to go with new babies especially in the summer. However, I'm concerned about your coop space. As lazy gardener stated, not enough space and you will, not "might", will have other issues that will come up. Chickens need space and one way to increase space in their run (not coop) is to have different levels to get away from each other. It's a good solution when you are tight on floor space. Good luck with your babies!

 

[debid]

@lazy gardener , My coop is the Eglu Go Up Chicken Coop with a 3 meter run. Now that you said I need about 4 square feet per chicken in the actual coop itself, without the run, I am starting to wonder if my coop is too small. I hope it won't be too big of an issue. The run may be a little cramped also for 4 chickens, but we are going to let them free range in our backyard during the day while we are home. Please give me anymore advice!

Is it too late to change your mind on the coop? You could build something much bigger for less $ than an Eglu and the construction can be very simple and still work well. There are folks on BYC who have successfully built coops with no experience, only a few hand tools, and a lot of advice.

The biggest problem with those little prefabs is the size but the cost for the size is steep, too.