Morning Scare

[ridgefire]

Well I had a real scare this morning. I went out to the coop to check on them this morning when I got home from work. I looked in through the window in the door and couldnt see any chickens. My heart dropped I was like oh no. I fling the door open and step in, its still kinda dark in there, just a hint of the morning light coming in through the window. When I stepped through the door I could hear this sound, I really dont know how to describe it, I guess like a light purring sound almost. I turn and look up to the top of the perches and there they all are nestled up on the top two rungs, all snug as a bug. There's my rooboy sitting top center with all his girls. It made me smile to see him finally starting to come up through the pecking order. The poor boy has been so hen pecked its not funny.

The down side is them using the roosts now really threw a wrench in my plans to keep them warm tonight when its supposed to drop to below freezing. I was going to use one of the rungs to hang a heat lamp, but that wont work if they are above it.

So I nailed a block of wood to the wall and clamped the light to it and pointed it towards the top 2 rungs, I hope it keeps them warm enough.

 

[Wildsky]

They'll be FINE... even without added heat.... (they have personal sized down comforters!)

I didn't use heat and we went as low as -27 or something ...

 

[ridgefire]

Well they are a day short of 7 weeks old so they dont have all their feathers.

 

[gritsar]

Ridgefire, admittedly we are probably warmer here than where you are, but my chicks will be 7 weeks old tomorrow and they have been without heat lamps for two weeks. They are still in a pen on our screened porch

.

 

[ridgefire]

This is the first night since moving to the coop I have used a heat lamp, and its only because its supposed to drop to about 20 degrees tonight.

 

[ridgefire]

Well they all made it safe and sound through the cold night. I was really worried driving home this morning, after scraping the frost off the windshield, and walking across the frost covered yard to the barn. But they were all there on the top two roosts. Looking a bit PO cause I woke them up at 6:30

Tonight I only had to chase one chick back to the coop. The rest were already up on the perch's at 8pm. My girls are so smart, and they have wonderful leadership from a very handsome leghorn roo.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Be sure to keep that at your house............... I'm all done with the cold!

 

[gritsar]

Glad to hear they did fine. I was really worried the first night mine went without their heat lamp, but all was well.