Questions!

[JeninMN]

Hey everyone!
Ok..some questions...

1. How warm does it need to be at nights for the chicks to go out in their coop....we are wondering if our brooder is going to work much longer...we dont want them banging their heads on the top of it and they are growing so fast!! They are just over 2 weeks old tho so still pretty young....we also live in the flats so its always kind of breezy...

2. when do we start feeding something other than the chick starter? If we give treats how much grit do we need to add in???

3. To begin with we had a few that had pasting issues...I haven't noticed this on any of them now in about a week...is that typical? I mean its great that we aren't cleaning butts but I was wondering if that is normal...

4. Would love it if someone could post a pic for us showing us how all the feathers should look before we take them outside to their coop?

We are LOVING this expereince...we built the inside portion of our coop this weekend...it turned out really good...will post some pics soon

 

[NS2A]

I'm in MN and my chicks are about as old as yours. I put mine in the coop this weekend. I do have a heater in there, but it's only about 75 degrees.

If you don't have a heater, I'd try to make sure they have all their feathers and make sure there's no drafts. I was kind of amazed how warm the coop gets. Much more than I thought.

Hope that helps.

 

[JeninMN]

so you have a heater in there or a heat lamp?...if we put a couple heat lamps in with them that is what i was thinking...i think about a week or so they will be grown out of the brooder...we have 29....

 

[Cheep Mama]

We live in Michigan and it's been in the high 60's and low 70's, so we moved them out a few days ago. We turn the heat lamp on at night and they all are doing fine. The coop really warms up in the daytime.

 

[montana girl]

I am so interested in all the different ways people take care of their new chicks.

I sometimes wonder if I am over worrying?

I got my chicks on March 1st. They were just cotton fluffs with tiny beaks : )

Now, they are just over 7 weeks old, fully feathered and rambunctious...they are throwing feathers and bedding all over my kitchen lol.

I was taking them out to their coop during the day.. but bringing them in at night.

Right now, its dropping down in the 20's at night while this front passes, and in a few days, it will be 32-38 at night.

I am just so afraid to let them out there when its still that cold, but i can't keep them in my kitchen forever!

Gonna keep reading lol.

 

[Cetawin]

There is a ton of information in the the Learning Center...just follow the link at the top of the page.

2. You want to switch their food right before they start laying...that information is in the learning center I think.

3. The pasting going away is normal. It is usually a temporary thing caused from the stress of shipping and settling in. One of my girls had that problem for just a few days and then it went away.

If you put them out, which you could fully feathered, they will need a heat lamp/heater at night or when it falls below 50 degrees. When they are asults, they can stand the cooler temps a bit better but your winters are going to require a heating source for them.

Good luck with them.

 

[Drea_Dee]

My chicks lived in the garage for the first few weeks of there lives with an infared heat lamp they are a month old now and in the little coop outside it drops down to the 40s and sometimes 30s here at night and will till may before it starts getting hot so till then I still leave the infared heat lamp on at night because during the day the temperature is in the late 60's and 70's but on days that it gets colder I put the heat lamp on!! hope this helps