Moving chicks for outside play time

[ChxLadyCass]

To secure a door cut into a cardboard box, I use popsicle stick with a screw in the middle, then screwed into the side of the door flap. Swivel the sticks to "closed" positions to hold the flap closed.

No, you do not want to bring the heat source outside with the chicks. By the time chicks are two weeks old, they are going long stretches on nice days without the need to warm up. The main reason to take chicks outdoors is to harden them to cooler temps.

By age three weeks, chicks no longer need a heat source during the day when the temp is in the 70s.

What about at night? My youngest are 3.5 weeks old and they are in the garage which gets to about 50 at night.

 

[MigraineMan]

My daughter will bait our bigger chicks with mealworms. Took a couple of times for them to get used to the green-tub transporter, but they seem to recognize that it's a precursor to going outside now.

 

[azygous]

Heat at night unless it's in the 70s all night. By the time chicks have feathers all over , including on their heads, they will no longer need heat at night.

 

[ChxLadyCass]

Heat at night unless it's in the 70s all night. By the time chicks have feathers all over , including on their heads, they will no longer need heat at night.

Ok! I unplugged their MHP last night. It was 66 degrees this morning and hey we're snuggled together on top of the non heated MHP. I agree they still need heat at night. I'll have to figure out how to supplement heat for the next few weeks. I just brought in 6 new baby chicks so I am working with multi-aged chicks! Crazy chicken math.

 

[silarajc]

Chicken math has got me already too! 8 new chicks from Tractor Supply, but...they were breeds I knew I wanted to add. So now I have the littles in a tub and stole the heat lamp from the 4.5 week old bigs. They cuddle together pretty tightly at the beginning of the night, but when I am able to go in before they wake up they are a little more spread out. I now have 33 total, and wondering how to integrate them!

 

[ChxLadyCass]

Chicken math has got me already too! 8 new chicks from Tractor Supply, but...they were breeds I knew I wanted to add. So now I have the littles in a tub and stole the heat lamp from the 4.5 week old bigs. They cuddle together pretty tightly at the beginning of the night, but when I am able to go in before they wake up they are a little more spread out. I now have 33 total, and wondering how to integrate them!

So many!! I have 9 hens of mixed ages (two flocks combined essentially) one rooster, 5 big chicks, and 4-6 + chicken math chicks that are a day old! Such a juggling act! My plan is to try introducing the day olds to the chick bigs out on "recess" as soon as I can. I'd like all the youngens to be in the same coop when they are of age since I have already integrated two flocks together in the other coop. It will be a whole process no doubt! looking forward to hearing your ideas as well!

 

[MigraineMan]

The kids took the chicks out for another field trip (in-between rainstorms.) This is the first outing for the yellow ones (Red Sex Links,) and it was encouraging that they behaved themselves together. They had about an hour in the garden to play around before we had to bring them back in.

 

[silarajc]

So cute! The weather hasn't been cooperating here either! Day before yesterday I brought them out, but it was so windy they just huddled together behind the box. Yesterday was nice, though.

 

[silarajc]

Oh, and I had grabbed a clump of dandelions for my older group (4.5 weeks) to put in the brooder, and saw one eat almost a whole leaf from the tip down, then run around squawking with almost two inches of the base sticking out of her mouth. I caught her and pulled the whole thing out. Now I'm scared to let them have anything that isn't attached to something so they can bite off little pieces. I'll be cutting up dandelion leaves to put in the brooder from now on.

 

[ChxLadyCass]

Oh, and I had grabbed a clump of dandelions for my older group (4.5 weeks) to put in the brooder, and saw one eat almost a whole leaf from the tip down, then run around squawking with almost two inches of the base sticking out of her mouth. I caught her and pulled the whole thing out. Now I'm scared to let them have anything that isn't attached to something so they can bite off little pieces. I'll be cutting up dandelion leaves to put in the brooder from now on.

Oh my goodness! Thank goodness you were there! The image is a little bit humorous! I have been digging up little clumps of dirt and grass. It took them 4 weeks to demolish the first large clump of sod and now they have demolished a clump in 3 days! Crazy little things! Maybe you can dig up some dandelions with the ground attached?