There are two separate issues in this post but both are about my little chickens, two groups of 5 and 6 weeks old that I would like to integrate into the flock.
I had a hen with 4 chicks in the coop in a separated area. Last week they learned how to break out of it and I found chickens mingling with the big birds, locked in the coop when I got up to let them go outside. The chickens were 5 weeks old then. I started to let them discover the chicken yard after the hens laid all their eggs, I let the big birds out in the backyard and closed the door so they could not get back in. I didn't want the little ones to be out because we have hawks and my mouser cats catch song birds too. Behind the fence they were safe and they enjoy being outside and sun bathe on the warm rocks.
In the last few weeks or so I noticed that mama hen leaves them alone, she never really protected them and she runs away from being pecked at too. Sometimes she remembers that she has babies and runs back to them but not on a regular basis. The little ones try to run after her but they are careful and I don't think they trust her to protect them so they stay close to the coop. She does not make broody sounds anymore and she isn't fluffed up either. She does not want to sleep with them anymore.
Last night when it was time to lock up, I noticed all the little birds higher up, 3 of them on top of the caged area beside the window, and one sitting on the perch with the other hens. I thought that was so cute. (scared me first because I thought I lost one)
There are 12 hens and 2 roosters in this coop.
While this would be OK for me because the big birds don't hurt the little ones, I worry about the nights. It still gets pretty cold, about 11-14C at night. I used to put mama hen back with her chicks and I could turn the heat lamp off because they huddle together under her wings. But without mama hen they look cold sitting on their feet and heads pulled in.
So last night I put them back into chicken jail and left the heat lamp on. I saw that mama did not heat the chickens who were sleeping under the heat lamp. The heat lamp is pretty high up now, it makes a few degrees difference during the night, it is off during the day. I also want them to eat the medicated starter until they are older but they like to forage. Without being locked up, the hens steal the starter feed.
I would like to turn the heat lamp off if I could. I kind of need it for another 2 chickens who are still in the basement and only 1 week younger than the 4 in the coop and I need to start getting them outside to get used to fresh air. I would also like to get them together with the 4 little ones, but they are not used to their germs yet so they will be fenced away from the others and increase the time spent outside every day, and sleep in the house until they are ready to go out. I am traveling in 4 weeks so I would like to get them integrated by then (They will be around 8-9 weeks old with the other 4 being 10 weeks old.) Is this realistic?
Are they going to be OK at night in those temperatures? The days are warm to hot (24-31C), the nights are cold.
Everyone is in the chicken yard today and they seem to be doing fine. If they won't catch cold at night then I can stop locking them up separately.
What would you do with these temperatures? Keep the heat lamp on at night?
I had a hen with 4 chicks in the coop in a separated area. Last week they learned how to break out of it and I found chickens mingling with the big birds, locked in the coop when I got up to let them go outside. The chickens were 5 weeks old then. I started to let them discover the chicken yard after the hens laid all their eggs, I let the big birds out in the backyard and closed the door so they could not get back in. I didn't want the little ones to be out because we have hawks and my mouser cats catch song birds too. Behind the fence they were safe and they enjoy being outside and sun bathe on the warm rocks.
In the last few weeks or so I noticed that mama hen leaves them alone, she never really protected them and she runs away from being pecked at too. Sometimes she remembers that she has babies and runs back to them but not on a regular basis. The little ones try to run after her but they are careful and I don't think they trust her to protect them so they stay close to the coop. She does not make broody sounds anymore and she isn't fluffed up either. She does not want to sleep with them anymore.
Last night when it was time to lock up, I noticed all the little birds higher up, 3 of them on top of the caged area beside the window, and one sitting on the perch with the other hens. I thought that was so cute. (scared me first because I thought I lost one)
There are 12 hens and 2 roosters in this coop.
While this would be OK for me because the big birds don't hurt the little ones, I worry about the nights. It still gets pretty cold, about 11-14C at night. I used to put mama hen back with her chicks and I could turn the heat lamp off because they huddle together under her wings. But without mama hen they look cold sitting on their feet and heads pulled in.
So last night I put them back into chicken jail and left the heat lamp on. I saw that mama did not heat the chickens who were sleeping under the heat lamp. The heat lamp is pretty high up now, it makes a few degrees difference during the night, it is off during the day. I also want them to eat the medicated starter until they are older but they like to forage. Without being locked up, the hens steal the starter feed.
I would like to turn the heat lamp off if I could. I kind of need it for another 2 chickens who are still in the basement and only 1 week younger than the 4 in the coop and I need to start getting them outside to get used to fresh air. I would also like to get them together with the 4 little ones, but they are not used to their germs yet so they will be fenced away from the others and increase the time spent outside every day, and sleep in the house until they are ready to go out. I am traveling in 4 weeks so I would like to get them integrated by then (They will be around 8-9 weeks old with the other 4 being 10 weeks old.) Is this realistic?
Are they going to be OK at night in those temperatures? The days are warm to hot (24-31C), the nights are cold.
Everyone is in the chicken yard today and they seem to be doing fine. If they won't catch cold at night then I can stop locking them up separately.
What would you do with these temperatures? Keep the heat lamp on at night?
