When to move to coop????

[TJordan]

Should I put a heatlamp in there at night?

WARNING WARNING!!!! Use estream caution when putting a heat lamp into a coop!!! To many fires happen when pine dust gets into the air or a bird knocks the lamp down.

If the birds are fully feathered don't worry so much unless it gets VERY cold. If the hen is raising them she will do the work. If you are worried run a cord to the coop and place a heating pad on low wrapped in a protective blanket to keep them from direct contact and place on the floor of the coop. Do not cover with bedding, just that blanket or towel cover. If the chicks are big enough to get to the roosts insure that the roosts are no smaller than the flat side of a 2"x4". They will hunker down on the roosts and protect their feet.

Most of all. Don't panic. Those flighty rascles are hardy. My chicks survived a F1 tornado at 3 weeks old hunkered under momma.

 

[mymilliefleur]

WARNING WARNING!!!! Use estream caution when putting a heat lamp into a coop!!! To many fires happen when pine dust gets into the air or a bird knocks the lamp down.

If the birds are fully feathered don't worry so much unless it gets VERY cold. If the hen is raising them she will do the work. If you are worried run a cord to the coop and place a heating pad on low wrapped in a protective blanket to keep them from direct contact and place on the floor of the coop. Do not cover with bedding, just that blanket or towel cover. If the chicks are big enough to get to the roosts insure that the roosts are no smaller than the flat side of a 2"x4". They will hunker down on the roosts and protect their feet.

Most of all. Don't panic. Those flighty rascles are hardy. My chicks survived a F1 tornado at 3 weeks old hunkered under momma.

Agreed. Those chicks certainly are tough. I recently had a hen abandoned her three eggs on day 17. She was on and off (mostly off) her nest for about 2 1/2 days. I figured the eggs were dead, so I took her out. when I pulled the nest box out, I realized the reason she abandoned her nest, an infestation of mites. I sprayed the eggs down, and than burned the box to destroy the mites. I decided to break the eggs open to see if they had developed, and the first one was a dud, but the second one had a live chick in it. (It was a preme so the chick died right away). I put the third egg under a broody bantam in case it was still alive too. Late the next day I went out to check put my bantams away, it was cold and raining heavily. I opened the nest box to grab the eggs, and noticed the egg I had slipped under the broody bantam (it seems she wasn't serious) soaking in water and very cold. I picked it up and found the egg was pipping, and there was a faint cheeping coming from it. I ran to the house and put the egg on a heat pad, and warmed it up. By the next morning the chick had hatched, and was snuggling up on the heat pad.
That's one lucky little chick.

 

[TJordan]

Something similar happened to me. My hen hatched 2 very happy chicks and sat the other 2 for 5 days until leaving the nest. I figured duds but wanted my kids to see what happens when an egg is left to to long so I places both on a towel in a box and put a heat lamp on them to simulate momma.

This is what I found 2 days after my son turned 5....

And the next day this....

I ran and had already got 4 more babies that the hen took so I had 6 outside, 2 unexpected inside and then my mom-n-law gets 2 MORE to keep my new ones company. I had a total of 10 babies until last Sunday. Something got my cockerel chick.

Now I've got an incubator full of eggs hatching early as well... Got to love chicken math.

 

[My1stChickens]

Me again. Two weeks ago I moved my little chicks from the house to their tractor.... which was in the garage due to extremely wet/stormy weather. On nice days, I push the tractor out into the yard, then at dusk I push it back in. This is a HEAVY tractor, so this is not a fun task. The last couple days it's been mid 90's and they 've been hot, panting. I give them ice water, frozen fruit blocks and a fan-- no casualties thus far.

Now I really would like to get them out of the garage. I sort of like parking in the garage, and am not a fan of this arrangement. The tractor is solid, and enclosed 100% in hardware cloth. Even the ventilation windows have hardware cloth. When I bought it, I was convinced it was safe. Now I'm sorta worried that if I don't put the tractor in the garage at night, something bad might happen to these lil girls I've worked so hard to keep alive this long. Is this a rational worry? Irrational but not uncommon?

Oh, they are all six weeks old, some closer to 8 weeks. Fully feathered, fat, sassy. I'm in Texas so 90+ day time temps, maybe down to 70 at night.

 

[azygous]

It's normal to be concerned about the safety and security of your chicks. You need to assess the dangers they may be facing and assess whether the tractor coop is secure enough in the face of these threats.

Make a list of all the predators that are in your area. Dogs, cats, raccoons, weasels, hawks, owls, foxes, and snakes are common in most areas. Bears, bobcats, cougars are common in some areas, but perhaps not in yours, so those are threats your tractor may not need to stand up to.

Realistically understanding the threats to your chicks will help you assess whether your chicks will be safe in their tractor or if you need to add reinforcement.

After you've done all that, move the tractor out of the garage and relax.

 

[TJordan]

Very good info azygous. You need to figure out if they will have a run or free range as well... Each presents different problems...
Free range = healthier chicks but bigger chance of attacks. I keep mine in a fenced in backyard and still lost 2 full frowns this spring and a chick a week ago...

Run = safe area where critters can't get in but if you have foxes they will dig and raccoons will climb... For the tractor I would build a light wight run. I'm making one out of PVC pipe and hardware cloth for my momther-n-law.

 

[My1stChickens]

Thank you-- what you say makes perfect sense. I live in a neighborhood, but back up to a large ranch. I know dogs or cats could come through, and over the years I have seen occasional skunks and snakes, one possum, one raccoon. I know we have hawks.

The tractor is solid wood, and 1/2 inch hardware cloth. The only possible point in entry is about a 2/3" gap in the door of the run. I'm going to put something against that gap, and call it good. The tractor is parked close to the house. These chickens are too dumb to go into the coop, they like the sleep in a pile in a corner of the run. But that corner is solid wood, and hardware cloth. Nothing can get in, or even reach in, but maybe a baby snake...

My next door neighbor has chickens and in several years he only lost one chicken-- broody hen that evidently fought a rat snake for the eggs she was laying on. His coop is no where near as secure as my tractor-- example, squirrels come in/out at will to steal scratch.

Odds are, they will be just fine. Thanks for the very logical advice.

 

[My1stChickens]

These will have a run. While they are growing up, it's a chain link 12x12 dog kennel that I've fortified with 1/2" garden cloth to prevent the silly chickens from sticking their heads out. But I will lock them in the tractor at night since I do not yet have a roof on the dog kennel.

Long term I'm probably converting a 11x13 stall in the barn for the "coop", and there will be a door leading to a 20'x60' run, safely fenced, including overhead. This year I've seen quite a few red tailed hawks, and there are some buzzard looking birds-- and a couple road runners.

These chickens have very little survival instinct, seems like they are awfully low on the food chain for good reason. But I'm willing to go to a bit of effort to keep their dumb selves safe, in return for the eggs they should start laying by fall.

 

[TJordan]

These will have a run.  While they are growing up, it's a chain link 12x12 dog kennel that I've fortified with 1/2" garden cloth to prevent the silly chickens from sticking their heads out. But I will lock them in the tractor at night since I do not yet have a roof on the dog kennel.

Long term I'm probably converting a 11x13 stall in the barn for the "coop", and there will be a door leading to a 20'x60' run, safely fenced, including overhead.   This year I've seen quite a few red tailed hawks, and there are some buzzard looking birds-- and a couple road runners.   

These chickens have very little survival instinct, seems like they are awfully low on the food chain for good reason.  But I'm willing to go to a bit of effort to keep their dumb selves safe, in return for the eggs they should start laying by fall.

I'm glad you've got it set up well... Use a piece of tarp from walmart $10 or there about. Works great over those dog kennels... I'm thinking of putting mine in one as they grow.

 

[My1stChickens]

Update.
yes, they all lived through the night. I'm going to like not having to drag this huge tractor twice a day.