Questions before I put my chicks outside

[jesssaye]

What do I put on the ground? Straw? & how do I clean up the waste from the ground also? This is my first time having chickens. I have taken great care of them. They are 3 weeks old & I was wondering if I should wait. Where I live some days it is not cool like 40's somedays it's in the 60's. Somebody told me if I put like a 35 Watt light in there they would be fine. But I don't want to put them out there if they are going to get too cold. My chickens are 3 Cornish & 3 speckled

 

[latb611]

I am thinking of putting mine out soon too and was wondering if ants are an issue with their food.

 

[PrairieChickens]

For bedding material, I just use pine shavings. Others prefer sand, and that would allow you to just scoop the poops out with a scooper without having to change all of the bedding.

I'd go larger than a 35 watt bulb, especially if it gets below freezing at night. A 75 or 100 watt bulb will keep them sufficiently warm--just make sure they aren't lightbulbs that have been coated with teflon to make them stronger (they tend to be marketed as shatter-resistant or some other label). Teflon releases a toxic fume when it heats up that will kill chicks.

To answer latb's question, I've had no problem with ants in the food, and we have a lot of ants here in Kansas. I suppose the food just doesn't taste good to them.

 

[jesssaye]

Can I use something other than sand? Cause I don't think that'd be good. Like straw? Would it come up just as good?

 

[PrairieChickens]

You can use straw, grass clippings, pine shavings, or some other organic material (NOT cedar shavings) that will absorb the moisture from the poop. Only sand offers the option to scoop the poop out without having to completely remove and replace the bedding.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Three weeks is pretty young for them to move outside, especially this time of year. They need to be fully feathered and generally around 4 to 5 weeks this is accomplished. Mine make the move at 5 weeks and I live in a pretty temperate climate.

As far as what to put on the ground...are you talking about bedding inside the coop or something on the ground in the run? Sand is good in the run, it drains well and helps keep things drier and is easy to clean. Some people like sand in the coop to. I like pine shavings in the coop for youngsters. Fluffy, warm and dry. I really don't care for straw, it tends to clump together and get damp and is just harder to clean up. It also molds easier. Straw in an outside run quickly turns into a soggy, stinky, moldy mess that will break your back to clean it out.

 

[jesssaye]

I'm talking about the outside of the coop. I have pine shaving inside the coop. But I mean when they walk down the ramp onto the grass. Can I not really do anything about the waste?

 

[jesssaye]

I put my heat lamp out there with the chicks in the coop. They seem to be doing great with it. But I'm still wondering about the waste on the outside of the coop. Cause I got the inside pretty much handled but is there anyway to keep the outside on the grass clean?

 

[PrairieChickens]

You pretty much have two choices for the run outside of their coop: sand or mud. The grass will be gone in a month or two unless you're moving the coop and run every day or so to a new patch of ground. If you don't want them walking in mud and poop. you pretty much have to use sand. You could use very fine gravel, but I imagine sand is much more comfortable for them.

Don't use anything organic in the run itself--the first good rain shower and you'll have a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. Organic bedding materials only work if they're dry, and they can't stay dry outside.

 

[jesssaye]

Okay, thank you!