Outside brooding wish us luck

[Elmochook]

I got a batch of 12 easter eggers as early Christmas present and they are 2 1/2 weeks old now so im testing them out in my outside brooder today for the 1st time. They love having room to stretch out now. Also im pretty sure i have 2 roos... Tomorrow is 100% rain chance though so they will be back inside tomorrow since i havent tested the coop/brooder in the rain yet.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We may be better able to help if we know what your set-up is.

 

[chickens really]

So, how did you make out?...

 

[Elmochook]

I chickened out lol. I checked the weather and it was gonna be raining all day so i figured best bring them on in until i knew for sure my roof was good... Im super glad i did because i had a pretty bad leak.

 

[Elmochook]

Update on our outdoor brooding

Well they have been outside in their little box for about a week now and im pleased to announce they are doing GREAT! My father in law told me i need to realize how strong birds are in general so i keep that in mind. Its been rainy and my roof survived the second rain (once i got a piece of wood big enough) and ive only made a couple tweaks to improve it so far.
I put a piece of cardboard up a couple nights ago as it got super cold right where they sleep under the light and i bought them a painters tarp to just cover any possible drips that would come in on the roof. Im so excited that i can make a home for these tiny creatures that they can grow and flourish in and i dont have to worry about my mom breathing in unnecessary dander. Its not as pretty right now as it will be come spring but it functions and keeps the cats out when i close it all up

 

[CapricornFarm]

What kind of heat lamp do you use? From hard experience i have learned to keep an extra bulb (60 watt) burning in case the main light burns out. Chicks can die fast without any heat.

 

[Elmochook]

What kind of heat lamp do you use? From hard experience i have learned to keep an extra bulb (60 watt) burning in case the main light burns out. Chicks can die fast without any heat.

I have a flood light in there... I wanna say its atleast 60 watt but im actually not too sure. I have another metal light fixture that has a double bulb plug in it but i would just have to put regular bulbs in it... Would that be better?
Also thanks for the tip i didnt think about the bulb burning out even though that happened the 1st night i had them. ( i was using the bulb i had used for my 1st batch of chicks so the one i have is mostly only a few weeks old now)

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have a flood light in there... I wanna say its atleast 60 watt but im actually not too sure. I have another metal light fixture that has a double bulb plug in it but i would just have to put regular bulbs in it... Would that be better?
Also thanks for the tip i didnt think about the bulb burning out even though that happened the 1st night i had them. ( i was using the bulb i had used for my 1st batch of chicks so the one i have is mostly only a few weeks old now)

A regular 60 or 100 watt bulb are fine for back up if you can find them. I have been buying the yellow bug lights. Bulbs can fail for many reasons. They get hit by birds and damaged, the bulb may come unscrewed, if water hits it, the bulb will burst. So imo a backup is cheap life insurance for chicks. I build cages of wood covered in hardware cloth for safety, those heat lamps can be dangerous if they fall down.

 

[Elmochook]

Oh i know i hate heat lamps but it ain't my richest time of year so i gotta use what i have.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is probably too late for this batch of chicks since they won't need heat much longer but a ceramic heat emitter is much more reliable and more efficient than a glass bulb. And if they do break, they don't spread shards of glass all over.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...er.TRS0&_nkw=ceramic+heat+emitter&_sacat=1285

I hope you have a plan to keep raccoons and weasels out of the chicks' space.

Just a reminder about your roof leak is that any moisture in the bedding is a perfect environment for coccidia to complete their life cycle.