Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[pennyJo1960]

We seem to have a new member @Izzabird in Vancouver wanted to say welcome and
feel free to join out little group anytime

 

[Hinotori]

I don't light them in winter anymore. When I did it was an 8 watt LED bulb. Before that it was a 40 watt incandescent. That is for 8x16 coop. I've never lit the silkies. Don't need even more of them seeing eggs and going broody

 

[Duck Drover]

question: what sort of light do you recommend in thier outdoor coop? I do want to move them out by week 5-6.
I have mine indoors. This might be why the 2 week old have moved away from the heat.

I don't use light or heat outside. I put feathered chicks in the Silkie coop and let them snuggle up to the hens once daytime temperatures are warm enough that it will not stress them going from room temperature to the outdoors.

 

[Bee and me]

Last night I dreamt about going to the store to find the perfect feather duster for my chicks. Lol!

 

[Bee and me]

Another question : I have been reading a lot about pest proofing my coop. Lots of people bury thier coop. I'm worried this will rot the wood that runs around the bottom. Should I half bury cinder blocks and place the coop on top of those?
Hmmm?

 

[ForrestGump]

Burying the bottom part of the coop will definitely help keep pests out. The coop for my handicapped chickens has wood buried all the way around the bottom and no pests get in. It is the only coop that I leave the food in over night. My small coop was built from pallets covered with hardware cloth. Two sides do not have any buried parts underneath and the rats soon figured out how to get in. You can use pressure treated wood or concrete or cinder blocks or even buried wire.

 

[Bee and me]

Thanks

 

[LeeRoadPoultry]

Do

The plastic totes can work well but you have far too much heat and the chicks can't get far enough away from it. We have great success using a Victor Ultimate Flea Trap as our heat source in long plastic tubs. It is just a night light bulb inside a dome that holds the heat as if it was coming from a mama hen. We use the lids over a portion of the tub to trap heat on that side and let heat escape on the open cool side where the food and water are kept. The ducklings will sit on top the flea trap as they get too big to fit inside but the chicks mostly flop next to it as they grow until we can take them out.

I have the large Brinsea brooder plate that works great too but it takes up half the tub space so I really need it in pool or trough instead. The flea traps seem to work just right. Notice how happy these hatchlings are in their flea trap (with shelf liner instead of the sticky paper).

Does this work in no heat barn?

 

[theceltichorse]

Pen is basically finished!!!

 

[theceltichorse]

A little better picture.