Leaving the country for 2 weeks--worried.

[yellowxo]

Hey guys, I have one rooster and I swear he's more like a puppy lol. He only hangs out with me and no one else! We are very close (he falls asleep in my arms and always has to sit next to me/on me). Not your usual rooster I'll tell you that! I have this room in my house that I always bring him in and of course I keep it clean because it's basically his play room.

My concern is this: I'm leaving the country and heading to Europe for Christmas/new year this year. He doesn't have a real chicken coop because I have this big clear see through box in my garage that I take care of and put his food/water in and I lay newspaper down on it. He loves it and yes there are holes for ventilation! I have tried to put dirt/hay/grass/other things in there for him and he hates it all- I found him standing on his food bowl one time because he didn't want to step on the "new stuff on the ground" LOL. Anyways, in the warmer months when I'm not home he just hangs out in my garage out of the box. He has a specific place he likes to sleep and has plenty of food and water and places to sit throughout the day so I know he is okay. I don't usually worry about the cold in the winter because he's usually in his room with me and at night he sleep in his box in the garage which I protect with old blankets just so it doesn't get too cold at night and I keep it close to the door leading into my house so it's not like he's out in the cold!

However, now that I'm not going to be here for almost 2 weeks I'm worried that he's going to get too cold and I'm not sure how or where to buy a heat lamp or if I should even buy one? I will not keep him in his box for that long so I would want him to have the entire garage but I'm just worried it's going to get too cold for him.

Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated!!

 

[1muttsfan]

This time of year it seems unlikely the temp will get cold enough to be dangerous for your friend - where are you located? Chickens tolerate cold much better than heat.

 

[yellowxo]

@1muttsfan I live in Detroit and right now the weather is not bad but I will be leaving at the end of December for Christmas and new year and it gets very cold around that time!

 

[1muttsfan]

I am way up north of you, and my chickens are in an outdoor coop with no supplemental heat and do fine. Is it an attached garage? if so, and if your roo is used to sleeping in the garage at night on a regular basis, he will be fine while you are gone. If he is not allowed to acclimate to temps in the garage and something happens like a power outage that leads to loss of heat, he will be more likely to have issues than if you let him, as the days go by, get used to the cooler temps.

If you do provide heat consider something like a radiant head plate, which can be mounted on a vertical surface adjacent to where he perches. That way he can move closer or away as he chooses. Radiant heat, instead of producing heat to the air, heats objects that are nearby.

I assume you have someone coming in to check on him on a regular basis. If the temps get suddenly very cold could they take him in temporarily?

 

[yellowxo]

Yes my garage is attached to my house! And yes I do have people who will be home making sure he has enough food and water daily. They just won't play with him lol. That's good to know though, thank you very much for your help! @1muttsfan

 

[1muttsfan]

Have a good trip