Hello or should I say cluck cluck..lame chicken joke?

[Donverrico]

grandson talked us into getting into chickens ...he lives an hour away and promised grandpa that he would take care of them...we pick him up and he spends and hour with them and we drives him home. So 4 hours of driving and one hour of chicken playing...bought 4-3 day old 2 orphindons and 2 autalio something or other...he knows what they are. Now about 10 days old. Im socializing them with me and my giant Bernese Mountain Dog. He loves them. And they already respond to him. He’s a gentle 120 pound giant. I want to make sure that when they are in the yard, he doesn’t terrorize them..or vice a versa. Bought a 4x4 coop and 4x4 run from an Amish builder...still very cold here in Delaware but I’m a long way from outside anyway. Do I provide any supplemental heat when I do put them out? Sand or wood chips? I think I’ve got the predator thing figured out. We had ducks who were preyed on by opossum, fox and raccoons and 3 of them finally had it and moved to our 5 acre pond...where they have been for several years. So this chicken coop is well made to keep out predators. Look at the size of his paw compared to the size of Nugget.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

I would advise putting in supplemental lighting until they’re fully feathered (about 6 weeks). I’ve also heard a lot of people prefer sand as well.
I love the picture and I hope you enjoy your new flock!

 

[ghostsnare101]

grandson talked us into getting into chickens ...he lives an hour away and promised grandpa that he would take care of them...we pick him up and he spends and hour with them and we drives him home. So 4 hours of driving and one hour of chicken playing...bought 4-3 day old 2 orphindons and 2 autalio something or other...he knows what they are. Now about 10 days old. Im socializing them with me and my giant Bernese Mountain Dog. He loves them. And they already respond to him. He’s a gentle 120 pound giant. I want to make sure that when they are in the yard, he doesn’t terrorize them..or vice a versa. Bought a 4x4 coop and 4x4 run from an Amish builder...still very cold here in Delaware but I’m a long way from outside anyway. Do I provide any supplemental heat when I do put them out? Sand or wood chips? I think I’ve got the predator thing figured out. We had ducks who were preyed on by opossum, fox and raccoons and 3 of them finally had it and moved to our 5 acre pond...where they have been for several years. So this chicken coop is well made to keep out predators. Look at the size of his paw compared to the size of Nugget.

Welcome to BYC! Congrats on your new little chicks! At about 6 weeks when they are fully feathered you can move them into their coop from the brooder and they should be able to self regulate their body temperatures. So you will not need any supplemental heat. As long as there are no drafts and they should be fine as they will huddle together. As far as sand or wood chips in the coop that's a personal decision and there are pros and cons for both. If you plan to do the Deep Litter method like I intend to do you would want to do wood chips. You could do a combination of both and have wood chips on the floor and then sand under the roosts where they poop. Like I said, it's a personal choice and it depends on things like how often you plan to clean out the coop. I'm still learning a lot about chicks and chickens myself.

 

[Donverrico]

What do you mean by supplemental lighting...heat lamp?

 

[ghostsnare101]

What do you mean by supplemental lighting...heat lamp?

Yes, Fancy word for heat lamp.

 

[lilmillefleur]

Or you could use a heating pad or heat plate, which are safer and more cost efficient.

btw Welcome to BYC!

 

[Plip]

Welcome to BYC! Great to have you here!

 

[Joeschooks]

Hello and congratulations on getting your chicks! There’s so many helpful, knowledgeable folks here and I’m sure you’ll find this site a very useful resource. I hope you enjoy it as much as we all do.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Happy to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

 

[drumstick diva]

Berners are such great dogs, I love them. My neighbor has had two and they were so dignified - didn't pull on the leash - just sauntered about looking majestic. And so gentle for their size. I bet that little chick couldn't take in all of him - just looking at this nostrils she was probably wondering what is that???