The Swampy Coop Build Thread

[Cryss]

Uh oh...
Um...



enabler

 

[RevRico]

So I assume the dark ones are the barred rocks. Two of the tan ones have very noticeable white wings already, everything else is just a little ball of fluff.

I put a heat light in after I took the picture, my heating pad for my mama hen thing is due in tomorrow, hopefully they'll be alright tonight.

I dunked their heads all in the water but they don't want anything to do with it yet. Might actually be a little on the chilly side at the moment.

 

[RevRico]

better pic of the tan ones wings.

There's a barred rock and a yellow fluff ball being antisocial, sitting in different corners, alone, shaking and chirping, but everyone else is hanging out under the light and pecking at the bedding

 

[paneubert]

Not the best pics to tell for sure, but most likely the darker of the "tan" ones are the Rhode Island Red. They start out very light colored. Sort of almost a washed out orange.

 

[123RedBeard]

There's a barred rock and a yellow fluff ball being antisocial, sitting in different corners, alone, shaking and chirping,

You should pick them up and move them under the heat ... if they are not already there, sounds like they are cold, and dont know where, or how to get warm.

 

[aart]

You should pick them up and move them under the heat ... if they are not already there, sounds like they are cold, and dont know where, or how to get warm.

Ditto Dat^^^

In case you haven't seen it:
Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[RevRico]

Update, the little yellow fluff balls have feathered feet, so my suspicion is Brahma there from so many I've seen on site. One has a dark spot on its forehead, I bet it will look cool all grown up.

They're eating and drinking pretty well now. Not really huddled under the light, but hanging out near it and quiet.

I put a small stick in to act as a small roost bar, haven't seen anyone on it yet, but probably a little early for that.

They're so quiet now, it's strange after the car ride of constant chirping. I got them at rural king, about 45 minutes away. Hoover breeding was the supplier.