I brood chicks in the bathroom, at least until I get them out to the ginormous brooder in the shed. I just haven't cleaned it out from the last batch, due to the weather and my physical condition being less than robust.
So, there are four brooder bins in the bathroom. One has 3 chicks ready to go out into grow-out coops this weekend: a Spangled Hamburg pair and a porcelain D'uccles pullet. No supplementary heat for them. Another has chicks from the NY Day Hatch and a couple of younger chicks in with 'em. No supplemental heat for them; the younger chicks snuggle in under the older ones at night. The third bin has 10 chicks a little over a week old - the heat lamp is mostly over that bin. A makeshift tub is immediately next to the third brooder, partially under the heat lamp, with two bantam chicks hatched at the same time as the chicks in the third brooder, and Tiny Tim, who is a disabled chick hatch some weeks ago.
None of these have covers over them.
The NY Day chicks have been using their roosting bar (their bin is the only one that has one in it) for weeks, and often roosting on the edge of the brooder. A couple of them have ventured to the edges of the other brooders, visiting the others. Now and then one gets out, but can get back in by flying/jumping back up to the lowest bin, walking along the edge and hopping to its own brooder.
The trio of fancy bantams, the oldest chicks, have been out of their brooder a lot this week. They wander around the bathroom, hop to the counter top, check out the sink and the shiny faucet, go for walks across the floor to investigate the shower stall, etc. This evening when I got home from work I found they'd also discovered the roll of paper towels and knocked it down onto the floor. They have unrolled a few sheets, poke their heads into the cardboard tube, scratched on the towels and stuck their heads through the holes they've made in the sheets. It's apparently quite fascinating to them.
Sometimes this or that chick will hop to my knees when I'm sitting in there, visiting. (Or whatever.) We have lively conversations.
It's only a bathroom. Easy to clean. I enjoy visiting with 'em all, and observing their behavior. It will be sad when I start putting them outside into their grow-out coops.
So, there are four brooder bins in the bathroom. One has 3 chicks ready to go out into grow-out coops this weekend: a Spangled Hamburg pair and a porcelain D'uccles pullet. No supplementary heat for them. Another has chicks from the NY Day Hatch and a couple of younger chicks in with 'em. No supplemental heat for them; the younger chicks snuggle in under the older ones at night. The third bin has 10 chicks a little over a week old - the heat lamp is mostly over that bin. A makeshift tub is immediately next to the third brooder, partially under the heat lamp, with two bantam chicks hatched at the same time as the chicks in the third brooder, and Tiny Tim, who is a disabled chick hatch some weeks ago.
None of these have covers over them.
The NY Day chicks have been using their roosting bar (their bin is the only one that has one in it) for weeks, and often roosting on the edge of the brooder. A couple of them have ventured to the edges of the other brooders, visiting the others. Now and then one gets out, but can get back in by flying/jumping back up to the lowest bin, walking along the edge and hopping to its own brooder.
The trio of fancy bantams, the oldest chicks, have been out of their brooder a lot this week. They wander around the bathroom, hop to the counter top, check out the sink and the shiny faucet, go for walks across the floor to investigate the shower stall, etc. This evening when I got home from work I found they'd also discovered the roll of paper towels and knocked it down onto the floor. They have unrolled a few sheets, poke their heads into the cardboard tube, scratched on the towels and stuck their heads through the holes they've made in the sheets. It's apparently quite fascinating to them.
Sometimes this or that chick will hop to my knees when I'm sitting in there, visiting. (Or whatever.) We have lively conversations.
It's only a bathroom. Easy to clean. I enjoy visiting with 'em all, and observing their behavior. It will be sad when I start putting them outside into their grow-out coops.
