Washingtonians

[FirewifeJess]

The plan is nice, but the weather is NOT cooaperating !
So sometimes we have to calculate the fact that our birds are stoooooopid & unexperienced & out in the weather.
Providing a heated area for the wet babes to come in to, may be best in this weather.

But by 10 weeks shouldn't they be plenty able to keep warm without the lamp? Or perhaps I could keep using the brooder lamp but only at night...IDK, I'm new

 

[Chickielady]

And another question... how old do they need to be before they can go outside in a coop in our rainy weather without a heat light? My husband is going to try to get power to the coop, but I'm not exactly sure how long that will take him. He will have to install an outdoor outlet and bury a pipe into the ground to protect the wiring. He may not want to do that until the weather is warmer.

Right now they are housed in the garage in a 4' x 2.5' wire dog kennel that has been wrapped with cardboard and plexiglass, so I'm guessing we have at least a few weeks before they would absolutely have to go outside.

A good heavy extension cord will work, if the length is not exceedingly far.

 

[Chickielady]

Mine will be 7 weeks, and I will put them out this Sunday. It's been a bit of a stretch, this weather hasn't wanted to meet me halfway. One thing I've done is raise the lights, and let the temperature in the garage get cooler at night. They are pretty well feathered, but the night temperatures are very cold. I think the garage temp under the lights gets down to around 50-55, and a few still huddle under the warmest spot. At 7 weeks, I aim to keep the temp 60-65, except nights. But I've only been doing that this last week and a half, knowing that they should be ready for some lower temps, just not as low as we've been getting.

How far is it from the coop to the house? If your chicks are almost old enough, and the house close enough, could you run a cord through the window, if you don't have outdoor outlets (use outdoor extension cord), and run the wire *over* to the coop? It will just be a few days or a handful of weeks at the most, though electricity to the coop sounds very, very nice.

I am getting anxious, and I am laying a fresh layer of shavings twice a day (about half still insist on bedding on the floor instead of the perches), and I need to buy another bale AGAIN! Their box is way, way overcrowded and I never expected them to still be inside the first week of May!

WOW ---7 weeks ?
My broody hens have had there baes out every day, since day 22 of the hatch..............the same can be had by a brooder with a door to the outside world, predator proof...........
If they are cold/wet/chilled they will go back inside.

 

[Chickielady]

One way to elevate the feed and water when they are able to reach is to put the containiers on a brick or paving stone. The heat lamp will heat the brick and it helps make the brooder cozier. You can even put the brick in an old sock. I lived in a passive solar house and the sunroom attached to the livingroom was made of concrete and it absorbed the warmth of the sun all day. I sure do miss that house ......................

I bet you all know this already. It gets frustrating trying to keep their little pens clean at first. One year my call ducks hatched out 17 babies. Hoo Ha, that was a mess.

Kathy B.

The house sounds yummy..passive solar is awesome !
Build it right, and it will be perfect !
Our old house we just moved here FROM, has total active solar..........18 full arrays................................18K worth.....never ever a electrical bill, and that in CA where poer is 2X as high here on a cold day (when we WA are generating cheap power0 but in mid summer when WA is charging more for power, we were PAID for our generation of power.
Cool thing in December is a check from PG & E that they owe US !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote: He is in Kansas right? Wanted to move to Colville? Is he on his way this direction? WOW...I have missed a lot.

 

[Chickielady]

I'm so glad you like them too, Dana!
Wait 'til you see the difference they make after you use them for a bit.
I know I sound over the top crazy for Dawn's products but they are straight-up excellent!
Come to think of it though - we have such a great bunch of talented folks on this thread!
Including a lot of artists - from performing artists (now who would that be

) to painters to metal craftmen to writers....the list goes on!
I've always been so in awe of artists!

Well, I am just about out of soap.................I would LOVE a home made liquid soap......gluten free, soy free................no wheat germ oil........that would go in my pump bottle.......

 

[Breshcandra]

Here are some up to date cuckoo marans chick pictures.

 

[Chickielady]

Finished product! Chicken & dumpling soup....my throat feels better already!

Arrrgh ! Almost makes me wanna be sick too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FirewifeJess]

Those are super cute Marans!!

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

There should be a smiley like this

but with the thumb wrapped with a bandage for some of us.

Well to add to the boo-boo list...my eldest son (almost 19 and knows everything)....held a friend's horse ...My David knows nothing about horses. I am not sure he even knows which is the front end and which is the back. The "thing" he was holding he called a rope with a metal thing on the end. Well, it was the leather rein with a snap on the end. It had been unsnapped and he went and wrapped it around his hand. Well the boys were steer wrestling...The horse David was holding spooked jerking that rein with snap through his hand. Big gash across the palm and around one finger. He is really lucky it did not take his finger off. He did have to have 4 stitches though. Nasty looking. He of course put it on FB. ick.