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Dabeve60618

Dabeve60618

Hatching
5 Years
Mar 15, 2014
8
1
7
Chicago
Hello All,

New to the site and wanted to stop and say hello. What an amazing wealth of information is available here! We purchased 3 chicks six weeks ago tomorrow. We landed up with a Buff Orpington, a Golden-Laced Wyandotte and an Ameraucana/Araucana/Easter Egger (whatever it is). We are having great fun with it, especially the kids. I do have a few questions and have yet to get the hang of searching past threads efficiently so I post them here.

1 - When in the world can I get these beasts out of my house and into the coop? What nighttime temps am I looking for before that's possible?

Six weeks ago they were cute little fur balls and now they more closely resemble a pack of wild raptors. We are in Chicago and we, like most of the country, have been having an incredibly cold winter and now spring as well. The birds are all well feathered.. We have an ecoglow heater that we turned on its side 10 days ago when the chicks were no longer going under it. they rarely appear to use it anymore if they ever do. We keep the house about 68 degrees and the birds are in a large converted dog crate. We installed 2 roosting bars and 2 of the 3 birds use them regularly although for sleeping at night they more often dig a hole down in the shavings and huddle together. We do have an unfinished basement that maintains a temp of 50-58 degrees which may be an interim option?

2 - Is it possible to put the ecoglow into the coop to cheat those nighttime temps and get them out a bit earlier?

3 - Can these wild beasts be trained to come to a particular sound? i.e. use a clicker or whistle and give them treats to condition them to come to the noise down the road? If so what is the best treat?

4 - When can we start throwing vegetable scraps at them to eat?

Thanks for any assistance!

Ron
 
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I hope you find everything that you need to know. Good luck with your chicken raising adventure!
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You should at least wait until they are 8 weeks old before putting them outside. The temp shouldn't fall under 40 degrees until they have all of their adult plumage. You can use an ecoglow. I keep my chicks in the basement where it is 60 degrees. they have a heat lamp though. Fresh fruit and veggies, mealworms, and bugs all make good treats. It depends on the size of the veggie scraps. For more info, check out the raising baby chicks forum!
 
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You might want to start with some reading in our learning center here on BYC for lots of tips on the questions that you seek answers for...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

As far as getting them out into the coop, and I loved your description of them as "wild raptors"
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, you can brood outside if your temps aren't too brutal. I like to use heated buildings outside as when the temp at night drops, so does the temp of the brooder. So if you have a heated area, but all means, get them outside! Be careful with drafts. So if you do take them outside, use a brooder with solid sides and a solid floor. Cold air rushes to meet hot air and this creates a draft that can kill babies. Keep lowering the temp as you are for about 6 weeks. It takes a couple months for babies to learn to use their internal heaters and also to be able to cool themselves down.

You can use your own voice as a come here command, shake a can full of grain or a bag full of mealworms! They learn fast where their treats come from and their sight is incredible! So they recognize all kinds to things quick.

Chicks need to grow properly. So it is best to wait until 6 weeks of age before adding things to their diet. When you do start to add the treats, always offer up grit if it is not naturally available. Here is a great treats chart for you to have a look see...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens

Great to have you aboard and enjoy all your new adventures!
 
Welcome to BYC. If you provide a heat source, they should be fine outdoors in a coop. Just keep an eye on them - if they start huddling and cheeping they are too cold. Whistle, call, shake a can with stones, use a clicker whenever you feed - they will come to associate the sound with feed. My pigeons are whistle trained. I fly them hungry and when a hawk appears or I want them to trap in, I whistle them in and immediately provide feed. At six weeks of age, you can start providing scraps in small quantities. Enjoy your flock.
 

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