19 sussex, campine and chantecler chicks, all 4.5 wks old now and with feathers basically everywhere.
They're in a BIG pen in a building where the temperature is a fairly steady 55 F, and they have a 2x4' plywood insulated hover with a total of 160 watts of red lightbulbs inside it.
Until yesterday they've all been sleeping under the hover, some under the middle and some under the edges facing outwards. Yesterday I threw them a couple chunks of turf to pick at, and when I went out to do the evening check, one of the Sussex was bedded down in the shavings at the opposite end of the pen from the hover, snuggled up next to one of the chunks of turf. Hm. This morning I went out there and SIX of them, sussexes and campines, were snuggled together in a lump in that same location, sort of nestled down into the shavings.
The ones that are still sleeping under the hover are acting exactly the same as always. (Including the runt, Peep, whose response to being an extremely small and subordinate rooster is to crow loudly, all the time, and generally behave as if he would like to be driving a large loud red Mustang convertible and wearing heavy gold chains
)
So, are they trying to tell me they don't need the hover anymore (or not as much wattage in it)? Or do you think they do need it but have just gotten chased out by meaner peckier individuals? Or what? Should I do something?
Puzzled but trying to do the right thing and not Screw Up,
Pat
They're in a BIG pen in a building where the temperature is a fairly steady 55 F, and they have a 2x4' plywood insulated hover with a total of 160 watts of red lightbulbs inside it.
Until yesterday they've all been sleeping under the hover, some under the middle and some under the edges facing outwards. Yesterday I threw them a couple chunks of turf to pick at, and when I went out to do the evening check, one of the Sussex was bedded down in the shavings at the opposite end of the pen from the hover, snuggled up next to one of the chunks of turf. Hm. This morning I went out there and SIX of them, sussexes and campines, were snuggled together in a lump in that same location, sort of nestled down into the shavings.
The ones that are still sleeping under the hover are acting exactly the same as always. (Including the runt, Peep, whose response to being an extremely small and subordinate rooster is to crow loudly, all the time, and generally behave as if he would like to be driving a large loud red Mustang convertible and wearing heavy gold chains
So, are they trying to tell me they don't need the hover anymore (or not as much wattage in it)? Or do you think they do need it but have just gotten chased out by meaner peckier individuals? Or what? Should I do something?
Puzzled but trying to do the right thing and not Screw Up,
Pat
