I Have a Dilemma

[EsJaye]

okay, so i have five pullets, mostly feathered, around five weeks old. i have them in the bathroom in a Rubbermaid without a heat-lamp since that's the warmest room and they aren't huddling up. The thing is, they keep jumping out and are getting too big for the Rubbermaid, the third (gradually bigger) container i have put them in. the dilemma is that the temps at night are mid thirties and the highs here are in the mid sixties to seventies. there's at least three inches of bedding in the enclosed nesting and sleeping area in the coop they have yet to be in but i'm afraid they will freeze...buut, if they keep escaping, i'm afraid they might get hurt or lost or find something i missed and eat it. any suggestions would be nice, thank you for your time!

 

[MamaRudey]

Cut the lid and and add hardwire cloth to it. Then put the lid on the Rubbermaid tub.

 

[DylansMom]

We just lay an unused window screen on top of the Rubbermaid bin, the heat lamp heats right thru the screen and no escapees.

 

[EsJaye]

Thank you!

 

[DanEP]

At 5 weeks their pretty well feathered out. I had my brooder in the greenhouse and put the 3 day old chicks in their with a lite in the end of January and they did fine. If your coop is secure and draft free and you can secure you light near the floor I'd consider putting them in there. At 5 weeks their going to sleep in the floor anyway so they'll just pile up under the light for the night and should be fine. Chicks are much tougher than you think. I have a cochin bantam that has raised baby's in the coop the last two winters and never lost one. The only thing I'd advise is to close up the nest boxes till their about 18 weeks old and roosting, it's much easier if they never get in the habit of sleeping in them than trying to break them later. collecting eggs out of clean boxes is much nicer than dirty ones.