- Jul 3, 2014
- 10
- 7
- 84
So I have a compounded crap storm of a problem that I'm trying to figure out.
My chicken has hatched her chicks in the chicken house yesterday. However, it's been really hot out and will be so for the next couple of weeks (90-95 during the day and 60s at night). Currently, I combined two nest boxes to lock her and the chicks in their own little brooder space because she was still sitting on an egg and the chicks kept wandering off, one even fell out of the coop and was chirping on the ground. I put a fan in the chicken house to try to keep her cooler and opened the nest box sides and used hardware cloth instead during the day (wouldn't be predator-proof for night). She was still panting a bit, but looked cooler. The problem is I'm leaving for 5-6 days and won't be home to take care of them and don't have anyone that could come out twice a day.
So my debate is either to try to leave the chicks with mom and let them loose in the rest of the coop and run with everybody else (5 other chickens). Or if I should separate the chicks into their own brooder either in the chicken house or inside my house (I just ordered a seedling heating pad this morning to try to make a heating pad brooder for them before I leave just in case I do separate them).
The following things I have been worrying about and couldn't sleep over:
- Trying to keep everybody cool enough and with enough water
- Chicks drowning in the water pans used for the grownups (I really need to get a bunch of horizontal nipple waters made, it's not happening in time; and I don't want to pull all the pans because of the above problem)
- Chicks falling out of the coop or not being able to get back in
- If I separate chicks to their own brooder in the coop will it get too hot for them?
- Chicks escaping the run (I thought about using chicken wire or hardware cloth on the bottom of the most risky side to help prevent this)
- Keeping chicks warm enough if separated (aka why I just spent $45 on heating pads...)
I like being able to leave them with mom, but after making this list maybe the least stressful thing would be to separate them and set up a brooder inside my house?
Which thankfully (or hopefully) the heating mats should come in time so now it is an option where I didn't think it was before.
Any thoughts, comments, or help? Am I worrying too much? I feel like if it was just a bunch of regular chicks (like we get all the time at my parents), I probably wouldn't worry so much, but there are only three chicks (so far), and they are from my show quality milli fleurs, so now I'm freaking out. My favorelle hen hatched them, first time mama for her.
My chicken has hatched her chicks in the chicken house yesterday. However, it's been really hot out and will be so for the next couple of weeks (90-95 during the day and 60s at night). Currently, I combined two nest boxes to lock her and the chicks in their own little brooder space because she was still sitting on an egg and the chicks kept wandering off, one even fell out of the coop and was chirping on the ground. I put a fan in the chicken house to try to keep her cooler and opened the nest box sides and used hardware cloth instead during the day (wouldn't be predator-proof for night). She was still panting a bit, but looked cooler. The problem is I'm leaving for 5-6 days and won't be home to take care of them and don't have anyone that could come out twice a day.
So my debate is either to try to leave the chicks with mom and let them loose in the rest of the coop and run with everybody else (5 other chickens). Or if I should separate the chicks into their own brooder either in the chicken house or inside my house (I just ordered a seedling heating pad this morning to try to make a heating pad brooder for them before I leave just in case I do separate them).
The following things I have been worrying about and couldn't sleep over:
- Trying to keep everybody cool enough and with enough water
- Chicks drowning in the water pans used for the grownups (I really need to get a bunch of horizontal nipple waters made, it's not happening in time; and I don't want to pull all the pans because of the above problem)
- Chicks falling out of the coop or not being able to get back in
- If I separate chicks to their own brooder in the coop will it get too hot for them?
- Chicks escaping the run (I thought about using chicken wire or hardware cloth on the bottom of the most risky side to help prevent this)
- Keeping chicks warm enough if separated (aka why I just spent $45 on heating pads...)
I like being able to leave them with mom, but after making this list maybe the least stressful thing would be to separate them and set up a brooder inside my house?
Which thankfully (or hopefully) the heating mats should come in time so now it is an option where I didn't think it was before.
Any thoughts, comments, or help? Am I worrying too much? I feel like if it was just a bunch of regular chicks (like we get all the time at my parents), I probably wouldn't worry so much, but there are only three chicks (so far), and they are from my show quality milli fleurs, so now I'm freaking out. My favorelle hen hatched them, first time mama for her.
