Should today be chick moving day???

[ChixPix]

I have 18 5 week old chick(en)s living in a playpen in my dining room. They are SO READY for more room. The chicken coop is now big enough that they can move out there.

Here's the catch. yesterday was supposed to be moving day in my mind. Hubs came home and put tar paper on the roof in 35 mph winds but the shingles aren't on. I'm not too worried about that part, it will still be worked on over time. After dinner, I wanted to put up a board to make the much larger brooder (would take 10 min) and move them outside, but hubs got a bee up his butt and it didn't happen. I got ticked off.

Fast forward. He knows I was ticked last night, and actually tried to take an hour off work to work on the coop.

But the wind was so bad it blew the shingles off as soon as they went on.

I could go do the temp brooder part myself easily.

But the deal is, weather is supposed to be really bad tonight, with lots of lightning and thunderstorms. Possible hail/tornadoes.

Keep them inside one more day and admit maybe I might possibly be wrong (which has never happened EVER

)
Or just put them out there cuz after all.. dammit they're chickens not toddlers?

 

[Brindlebtch]

I wouldn't put chicks under a tar paper roof with possible hail. Does the outdoor brooder have a top and is fairly strong and water proof?

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I'd just enlarge their space inside temporarily until the roof is done. I'd also nail a few bats (whatever you have laying around, some 2 x 4's or something) down on that paper to make sure you don't lose the paper. I'd hate for you to have to redo that!

 

[ChixPix]

Tar paper is over plywood and put on with the orange tar paper nails. I'm not too worried about the tar paper honestly. It is supposed to last over 6 months if you can't get shingles on.

Brooder doesn't have a roof on it. I'm just going to put up a piece of plywood to partition off part of the coop. It would be about 3' x 8' and they'd be in that until probably this weekend. We're supposed to have good weather so I think we'll get the shingles on and the run done! YAY!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I would wait also. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
I've never had any human kids. Just lots and lots of "companion animal" babies, even hand-raised by bottle. Not sure that's an accurate comparison, but I'm still a doting mother to 'em all.

Now, chickens, though... these fuzzy butts have stolen my heart just as much as any kitten or puppy. That really surprised me.

Although I'm not making formula and dispensing it in tiny bottles to sightless, mewling chicks

I AM cleaning poopy butts, handling fragile little bodies with care, and spending far too much time hovering over the brooder.

I've kept all of my chicks in the house a bit longer than most folks, and this part of CA has pretty mild winters (mostly).

Every one of my chicks has been "the cutest toddler" I've ever seen.

Keep 'em in until you're done with the coop.