Washingtonians

[Stumpfarmer]

Hey, Heather, please try to keep from weeding the garden again until the baby is, say, a month or so old. Rest, relax, appreciate the modern wonder that is AC, and let people wait on you. Late pregnancy is sufficient work for anyone.

 

[Ogress]

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I used an old Ikea toy box that was missing its lid. We built a new one from wood and hardware cloth. My chicks go out to the big coop (juvenile side) at 2-4 weeks because I hate the dust. They still get their "Electric Hen". (Brinsea Ecoglow - I think it is about $75, but you will make that back on your electric savings by 2 months)

 

[Ogress]

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Yup. When I had a broody raise chicks, I was surprised to see how little time the chicks spent under the broody - all down and they'd be out exploring their surroundings for several hours at a time, and this was in June when it was cold and rainy. They'd dash under mom for a couple of minutes, and then back out! They did stay under her at night for about 5 weeks. I kept them in the coop withno additional heat, so they did not get wet in the rain.

 

[Ogress]

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Glad to see someone else from my side of the Mtns.

Um, I think Bonney Lake is on the WET side of the mountains.

 

[Kaneke]

for me the best brooder was cardboard boxes

if you can't get ONE that is big enough, wield the carton-cutter and the packing tape, and use several, put them together to whatever size looks right for you --- you can customize the size to fit wherever you can bear to have the chicks stay for a bit

my seven started out in a small Rubbermaid, graduated to a big Rubbermaid (3 feet x 18 inches) on sale at Walmart, then to give them more room, we put a couple of roosts in that and added an "attic" of cardboard for them to fly up to when they wanted to exercise

nice thing about cardboard boxes, you can recycle the parts that didn't get poo on them, and compost the parts that did -- when the chicks are done with it all

if you can get appliance boxes, those are great ... mine were mostly boxes that had had big packs of paper towels in them

edited to add --- you can also cut holes in the sides or top, use duct tape to attach "windows" (I got a couple of glassed picture frames from the thrift store)

or -- if you have pets that could possibly get at the chicks, hardware cloth makes a good "roof", weight it down ...

 

[Chicken Rustler]

RFF I was gonna post my sympathetic best impersonation of "baby belly" for ya but (eventhough it's nothing bad) somebody might report me and I would get ANOTHER spankin. So I guess ya would just have to look at Face book. It was actually done for a plate of brownies !!!

I hear some will do anything for food.

 

[KMHunter]

Quote:
I used an old Ikea toy box that was missing its lid. We built a new one from wood and hardware cloth. My chicks go out to the big coop (juvenile side) at 2-4 weeks because I hate the dust. They still get their "Electric Hen". (Brinsea Ecoglow - I think it is about $75, but you will make that back on your electric savings by 2 months)

I have a 4'x4'x18" wooden crate that I used. Like someone else said, you can staple card board to the sides to make it taller. I have PVC pipes made up into a frame to put netting over and/or hang feeders when thet ge a little older. I had them in there until around 8 weeks. If you have a vehicle that would hold it, you are ore than welcome to borrow it until your babies go outside. If you are getting them in Sept. I would keep them under heat until around 8 weeks when they are definitely feathered out, and if it gets pretty cold by that time I would maybe offer a little heat at night. But maybe we will have a nice September and October. PM me if you want to borrow the brooder.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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Glad to see someone else from my side of the Mtns.

OK so now ya gots me all confuzzled. Did ya move or did they move Bonney Lake or is there more than one Bonney Lake.

Okay, I may be confused. I thought there was a Bonney Lake in Idaho or near Idaho or somethin. Course I had had only 1 cup of coffee when I wrote this.

 

[Ogress]

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Glad the baby is fine! Those anti-contraction drugs sure are fun! Initially I was on indocin by IV, and starting at 28 weeks I went into real labor a few times, so then I got injections of terbutaline or something like that. It stopped the contractions, but they failed to first mention to me that it makes your heart race, so I had a panic attack thinking I was about to have a heart attack! I'm a but surprised they stopped your labor at just about 38 weeks. 38-42 weeks is considered full term. Olivia was born by C-section at 35 weeks. She was tiny, and had no sucking reflex then, but she was breathing on her own. I would have preferred it had she come out a week or 3 later. One nice thing about being born early, their lungs are not developed enought to be screamers. She was nearly 2 months old before she could cry loudly.

If you make it till Tuesday,your baby will be born on my birthday

We need some more good things associated with that day, right now, it starts with the Greco-Persian battle of Artemesium in 430 BC, the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, Nixon's resignation, and Jerry Garcia's Death (Greatful Dead). About the only good thing is Betty Boop's public debut in 1930.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:

Glad to see someone else from my side of the Mtns.

Um, I think Bonney Lake is on the WET side of the mountains.

my bad...I think I was thinking of Idaho.