Not so little chicks

[Seattlechick]

I have an issue. I have these two wonderful 2 month old girls in my kitchen. They look like chickens now but are not fully grown. They go out side at least once a day for a “walk around.” But, when they get cold, they come up to the back door to get back into their pen. They have very good manners and are a delight to have in the house. We have a chicken run outside and a small coop for them but it is not fully critter proof and they have not spent anytime in their new digs.

Here is my issue: we are leaving for a family vacation mid Dec. for 3 weeks and will be out of the country. We will have a house sitter, actually a house/animal sitter for the 11 year old bodercollie. I was wondering if I was pushing it by putting the girls in their coop when they are only 2 ½ months old. It can get below freezing at night in Dec. Or, should I just slip the house sitter a big tip and have her change the litter everyday like I do. Money is not a huge option (heck, I just bought a panel heater for their coop. )

 

[rosyposyosy]

I'd kick them out into the coop. They are fully feathered at 6 weeks, they'll be fine.

 

[mdbucks]

give them the BOOT

 

[silkiechicken]

Out they go! I kick out 8 week old chicks to the heat less coop mid winter when it reaches freezing at night. In the summer I kick out birds at about 6 weeks with maybe a heat lamp if it goes into the 40's at night. Since you have only two though, I wouldn't advise my method for younins. But at two months, they will be good to go. You could even kick them out now.

They just know how to get to you so they can sleep inside.

Oh, and they are probably coming up because they recognize kitchen as home, not that they are cold. They will do that as long as you let them do it.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

I think if I was you, I would get them used to using the coop at night and go in the coop/run during the day (their choice).

If I felt REALLY badly about the cold, I'd rig up a heat lamp on a timer.

As for changing the bedding everyday, if you can rig a poop-catcher under the roost (even little guys will roost on a 2x4 even if it's sitting on the ground, in my experience), you might not have to change bedding daily; sitter would just have to clean under the roost daily.

Perhaps experiment a little in the next week or two; I bet you can solve the problems and calm your fears while making the sitter's job a little easier.