Moving those meaties outside

[Hummingbird Hollow]

If I had a barn, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I only have a tractor...and now a foot of snow.

 

[ijon]

I should not complain about all this rain. You are dealing with snow. Hope it gets better for you.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

In the greater scheme of things the cold and snow are actually a good thing. Yes, it is an inconvenience to keep these birds in the garage all this time, and I have some new chicks arriving next week which will complicate matters even more. However, we are in a severe drought, and after last summers evacuation from the Waldo Canyon Fire, I'll take moisture in whatever form nature decides to deliver it.

 

[missnu01]

You can totally put them outside with the heat lamp...
You don't have to have a correct temperature brooder...you just need a spot in the brooder that is the correct temp...
So you hang the light and if the birds are cold they will get under it...if they are warm they will move away.
No need to check the temp, or anything of the sort...
That is why people end up habitually overheating their birds..they try to make sure their whole brooder is 90 degrees, which is so not necessary...worse for the babies in it, and slows down the feathering time.

Then again all my outdoor chicken enclosures have floors, or are off the ground, so the rain, snow whatever has no effect...

I guess keep them in until it dries, or put a piece of plywood under the tractor...and then put them in it..
THey won't get the benefit of being on the ground, but if the ground is all soggy they aren't missing anything.

 

[coloradoalice]

We moved ours all out this afternoon. They are in a tractor but they have a plastic little tykes building on one end for shelter and I put a heat light in there. We're going to have lows in the 20's and 30's over the next few nights but they just had to go out, the stink is bad and I've lost 3 of them, most recently this afternoon, 2 definitely because of smothering, not sure about the one this afternoon. They are just too big and need to be out of the brooder. So hopefully their little shelter and heat light will be enough to keep them dry and warm. We don't have a garage or a barn so this is the only option. I won't do meat birds this early again though, it's really not dependably nice out around here til Mothers Day and I should have considered that more before getting these guys. Oh well. You live and learn........

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Let us know how it goes Coloradoalice. I got overly confident too when we had such a warm (for Colorado) February and thought I'd try an early batch that would be done and gone (or at least long gone from thegarage) by the time the egg-layer chicks arrived in late April, but we sure have had one heck of an April. Planted the hot-bed in my garden two weeks back too and it has been in the single digits 4 or 5 times since. Sigh, I just keep looking at the snow and trying to remind myself how much we need the moisture.

 

[coloradoalice]

Yes I'm also trying to not complain although this most recent thing coming through tonight is about to do me in. I want the moisture but rain instead of snow sure would be nice!

They've been out 2 nights and so far so good! Today they are out picking around more too which is nice, they all spent most of yesterday hiding in the shelter, coming out to eat and then running back in. I was hoping they would enjoy being outside and getting to pick around a bit, they are doing more of that today. Tonight is going to get cold though, and tomorrow night is going to get really really cold, so this will be the real test. And hopefully the last of the temps in the 20's.

 

[coloradoalice]

They all made it through last night and it got down to 17 degrees last night. We dropped their heat lamp a little bit and they made it through just fine. They were thrilled with our high of 27 and sunshine this afternoon, lol. These are hardy little things I guess!!

Low tonight is suppose to be 16 and then the weather is only suppose to get warmer, I really hope we are done with all this crappy cold.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Thanks for the update Coloradoalice. I still have mine in the garage. They absolutly have to go out this weekend though, because I have some new layer chicks arriving early next week. Also, I'd like them to enjoy a bit of fresh air and sunshine before their short lives are over, but there hasn't been much sunshine in the past two weeks and snow almost every day. I just have to keep remembering last summer's forrest fires and being grateful for the extra moisture...although I'd prefer April showers to April snowfall.

 

[smallbatchfarm]

So we're here in VT... And it's been warm and dry this spring. We might get some rain this week but otherwise the temps have been +45's at night and into the 80's during the day.

We have 25 meaties in the coop brooder pen that are 4 weeks old, they are fairly well feathered. I want them OUT OUT OUT. If they have a sheltered, dry area; they should be good to go out, right?

Thanks for the imput and good luck to everyone else!