Sounds like those keets are trying to give you some gray hairs! Have you been able to rig up a cover on your indoor brooder so they don’t fly out? It seems to me that your idea about slowly getting them off the heat lamp and onto the heat plate is good. Can you use the rheostat to gradually turn down the heat light so they get less and less warmth from it and learn to use the plate?
Yes, the ex-pen is 4' tall and has a lid. They are definitely testing out their wings!
Ugh. I don’t like it when they look like that. It sounds like your handling is admirably low stress so I doubt it’s handling stress? I know you’ve been trying to get them ready to go outside but I’d keep an eye on that one and consider keeping them on regular heat for a bit in case that keet is brewing an illness. If that was the only episode then it’s probably nothing. If you see it or others fluffed up, hunched, lethargic, then I’d think about whether they need some kind of treatment. Is the pasty butt all resolved?
Yes, the pasty butt seems to be all resolved for multiple days now.
I have to remember they are only 2.5 weeks old. When I do move them, the outdoor brooder is substantially smaller than their 4x4x4 indoor pen. I may move the pen into the coop and skip the brooder entirely 
. We spent so much time on the brooder and it is really well thought out. It’s a shame I’m not using it.
Oh wow Bicoastal - so stressful!!! Could you move them out to your brooder now instead of modifying your indoor space? And how sweet is it that you’re helping to foster that bunny? We just found a possum mom dead on the road, covered in babies. We brought the babies in and placed in a box on a heating pad. Fortunately a wildlife rehabber was able to take them the next day.Last night was tough. I was awoken at 2am by screaming. I’m afraid of what I’ll see when I open the door. Surely someone is hanging from a leg that is now broken or there is some other catastrophe. They were all streaking around, bashing into walls, crashing into the ceiling, in a panic I have never seen before. As if there was a cobra in their pen. They were going to injure themselves panicking like that.
It seems like one got stuck between two layers of cardboard, then squeezed out unharmed. Two more followed as I watched.
I had to turn the light on to find the escapees, but that only revved up everyone more. Escapees returned, overhead light turned off, everyone settled back down quickly. But it took me an hour to stop laying in bed holding my breath listening, afraid I missed one escapee.
I’m afraid I have to tear down the pen and start over. There are too many holes for their level of activity and flight now. And there aren’t very many holes! Probably need to line it with bird netting floor to ceiling and cardboard around the lower half.
When can I kick them outside?
Too late. I have redone the pen yet again. Hopefully this time is the last time and it can be moved outside exactly like this.
Looks like your freezing temps are done at least! Are you planning on using both the lamp and plate outside or only the plate? Is the area going to be drafty? Insulated?
