Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Smokerbill]

I've been toughening up my chicks over the last week in preparation of moving them outside. No more heat lamp, and I give them extra light only during the daytime. It's lights off completely overnight. It's supposed to get down in the low 30's Thursday morning, but after that nights will be around 40 degrees. I figure the chicks should be ok with that.

Do you think they'll need a heat lamp overnight with temps in the low 40s?

 

[pennyJo1960]

No they will not or should not if they have feathers not fluff they will be fine.
Seems I have 7 sleeping outside in the walnut trees that are bare just now.
2 night in row I am out there hauling their butts back to the coop.

 

[Hinotori]

Hi fellow Washingtonians. This is my first time posting in this thread, my name is Bill. I have eight barred rock pullets that are right around 4 weeks old. They have a lot of feathering on their bodies and are starting to sprout head feathers. I plan on putting them in a 4'x4' section of my new coop on Thursday, with a heat lamp to ward off the chill.

The waterer I've been using holds only a quart of water, so today I rigged up a new watering system. It's a two gallon bucket with a Rent-a-Coop auto fill watering cup mounted on it. I put it in the brooder a couple of hours ago, and after the chicks decided it wasn't going to eat them, they eventually started drinking from the cup. Cool!

I was wondering if anyone here knows of a place I can get some comfrey root plant starts? Locally to SW Washington, if possible.

Here are a couple of pics, of chicks and of my work-in-progress coop. I now have the shorter half of the coop (right side) enclosed and ready for the chicks. The coop and run are underneath a roof so they'll have a nice, dry environment to spend their time. I'm planning to set up a chicken tunnel that will go to another run in a grassy part of the yard, out in the open. For when it's not raining. LOL

The water cups work very well. If they clog from algae growing in them, jet setting on a hose sprayer will clear it usually.

Not sure where to get comfrey. If minr wasn't being choked out by blackberries Id try to dig some but I'm not sure what is left out there anymore

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning State folks, we had sun but rain came in.
Headed for hot shower.

 

[Sequel]

I’m in Silverdale and it’s raining sideways!

 

[Smokerbill]

No rain here in Winlock... yet.

Well, I did it! Got the chicks transfered out to their new coop! It was a harrowing situation, for the chicks and me too. Since they've been living in a box on the floor all their lives, they have basically seen me as a predator whenever they saw me, hovering over their space, and strange looking hands and arms moving towards them. LOL

Today was actually the first time I've held them. I was able to grab one before I moved them, held her for a while and she calmed right down.

I had to trick them to get them out of the brooder box. I set a smaller cardboard box into the brooder with a hole cut in the side. I scared them into the box, and locked them in. Haha

When I put them in the coop I picked each one up individually and held it for a few seconds. Now that my face and body are at their level, I think gaining their trust will be easier.

I put their water in the coop before they went in. I'm withholding food for a couple of hours so they get settled down before eating.

Anyway I'm relieved that they are outside now, and not adding to the layer of chicken dust coating my extra bedroom.

Picture ares on the way...

 

[Smokerbill]

Here are pics of my coop-in-progress, the coop/brooder interior and the chicks.

When the coop if finished, the roosting area will be in the taller section (no walls yet), with a big window on the east wall for morning sun. The wall where the human "pop door" is now will have three 14" wide nesting boxes hanging off the side. The entry door for the chickens will be on the wall opposite the nest boxes. I'll be able to easily remove the wall opposite the window wall for cleaning, and I'll be able to scrape the whole mess directly into the chicken run.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Water cups did not work here at all.
Nipple horizontal is all I use three in 5 gallon buckets the main coop.
Two in the little coop, 1 in banty land with a 2 gallon in their tractor.
I have three coops all are tall enough to work in them.

 

[Smokerbill]

Water cups did not work here at all.
Nipple horizontal is all I use three in 5 gallon buckets the main coop.
Two in the little coop, 1 in banty land with a 2 gallon in their tractor.
I have three coops all are tall enough to work in them.

Why didn't the cups work for you? Is this the type of waterer you use?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Yes those are horizontal nipples. When I started them I showed two oldest birds.
They showed the rest of them. Now peeps about the time they have feathers they can work the nipples.
Even the banty show others taken up there.