Hi From SW FLA

[Jadnils]

Hi Everyone,
I have decided to start a coop of 4 laying hens in my backyard both for the eggs and because I know chickens are beautiful, easy to keep and make great pets. I just wish I had the room for a few pigs and goats but that's another story...
Anyway...I bought 2 chicks from a local breeder yesterday, they are just 3 days old. I need to call her back to get the exact kind, I saw the parents and they were lovely. I have them in a cat carrier with a heating pad under it wrapped in a towel. The carrier is lined with aspen shavings and hay. Do I need to put a heat lamp on them? They are in my laundry room which stays quite warm during the day and the heating pad will be on at night.The room only gets down to about 70' at night. I plan to take them outside when it warms up above 80' of course I will be out there with them.
I also bought 2 other hens who are about 5-6 weeks old now. One is Lucy, a Wyndotte mix and the other, Zoey, is not , ha, not sure what she is. They stay outside in a rabbit cage with a closed box full of hay for night time. I bring them onto my lanai at night ( in the rabbit cage).
Looking forward to building my coop soon before it gets too hot here! Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

 

[1muttsfan]

HI and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

A rule of thumb for chicks is 90 degrees for the first week, decreasing by 5 degrees each week until fully feathered at 6 weeks. It may be hard to get a carrier that warm with just a heating pad, without it also being a fire risk.

 

[Jadnils]

Thanks, well, since they are in a cat carrier, it's hard to put a light on them. I might have to switch to a laundry bin. They are in a nice warm laundry room at present and I have the pad on ( actually it is an under the tank reptile heater so it doesn't run very hot) with a towel over it under 1/2 the cage. They seem quite warm and happy for now. The nights are around 65-70' and I think the pad will be warm enough until I can figure something else out. This morning they were snuggled up in the hay together on a warm spot.

 

[Kevin565]

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[DDNONIN2016]

Hello and welcome from Ohio...so glad you joined us

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and from Ohio. So glad you joined. A box will work just fine. My only fear with a heating pad is that if they get too warm, they can't get away from the heat.

 

[kidcody]

from washington state glad you joined us!