Meet my Delta group in a wooly hen box

[BarnyardChaos]

Hatch group #4 is here! Ten out of 12 eggs hatched yesterday and this morning; one was a dud, and one a quitter. I made them a "wooly hen" box with a shoebox, some fluffy upholstery fabric scraps and velcro. Thank you @Mrs. K for the idea!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-little-different-way-of-adding-chicks.1521710/
I cut a door in one side of the shoebox, not too big. The fluff scraps are attached on all sides and the top of the box with velcro (removable so I can launder it), and I have a scrap of bath towel for the bottom for now. I laid an extra scrap of fluff in the box, mostly just to take up excess room and help to retain heat. I've got the box placed at one end of their brooder, half under the heat lamp. They're going in and out of the box at random, and loving it! I'm stubborn and still think the babies need the heat lamp for a few days, but I'll gradually drop the heat and watch carefully to make sure they're huddling well to stay warm. I don't like using a heat lamp, and don't have a brooder plate as yet... AND I think they ought to have darkness at night, not artificial light 24/7. Anyway, I'll keep you posted!

 

[Mrs. K]

If you shut off the heat lamp at night, you will have to put them in the wooly hen probably the first night or maybe two or three. But what is perfect, is they will home to that. So when you want to take them outside, put the box there, when it starts getting dark, they will go to the box. Easy Peasy

Then you can pick up the box and move it where you want. I stick mine in the coop. You have it made, when after a while, you get busy, and forget to move it out of the coop, and when you go down, they have gotten into the coop, into the box!

I don't have lights or electricity at the coop/run. So the fact that I can get them outside and have a place to warm up, works well for me.

They actually produce a great deal of heat. I use the heat lamp more for light during the day in the garage.

Mrs K