Winter time chicks HELP!

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Liylacs coop

Liylacs coop

Hatching
6 Years
Dec 4, 2013
2
0
7
Well I dont exatly have a farm but I raise chickens. I have three chicks(2 months old) and its to cold for them and I have to bring them in my house they got into every thing I tried a coop and cage but they get sad and depressed and stop moving when I put them in so I keep them in my room and they make it look like a hurricane came through so I need suggestions about what to do oh yeah I wasnt planing on having chicks but my chickens raised them with out me knowing and they wont take care of the chicks. They cant stay outside to cold
 
I dont have a barn to keep them I keep my other chickens in a heated room outside the other chickens wont accept the chicks and almost killed them
 
The reason the chicks do not move when they go outside is that they are probably not old enough to regulate their own body temperature. I would place the cage you spoke of in the heated area with the chicks inside. Place the cage as close to the heat source as possible. Chicks need an area that can they can access that can get to 85-90 degrees at the very least. They also need to be separated from the others or at the very least have room to escape, hide, or feel safe from the other birds until they are old enough to defend themselves. I would suggest either doing something permanent if you are going to keep the birds or find the birds another home so that they do not get injured or get sick.

Your older birds probably don't need a heated coop, they just need to be protected from the wind, weather, and predators. Perhaps you could make your older birds a new coop from recycled materials and give the new birds a warm safe coop of their own?

-Frozen Wing
 
Welcome to BYC. You don't say what your ambient temperatures are, but if not too severe gradually acclimate the chicks to the outside by providing a clean, dry, draft free coop during the day and bring them inside at night until they are fully feathered.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You might try posting in the Managing Your Flock forum about your chicks. How cold is it where you are? At 8-9 weeks, and if they are standard sized, your chicks should be feathered mostly and probably do not need extra heat if they have a secure place out of the wind (same with the adults). Can you separate the room/coop you are using now into two parts? It is easiest to integrate the chicks in with the older ones when they are about the same size and if you can do it gradually.
 
We kept our babies in the house for a couple of months until the weather got warmer. I was told by a former chicken owner that it was important to keep the baby chicks warm.
 
welcome-byc.gif
there are just too many things we don't know about your situation.

Temps in your area At 2 mos. of age your chicks should be fully feathered out.

How large was cage you had chicks in, wire sided or solid? If you let them loose in your room they are going to get stepped on or have things fall on them etc. they will be lucky to make it out alive. One of your birds must be a rooster or you wouldn't have "surprise" chicks hatching. Put him somewhere else and you won't have more surprises in the worst part of winter.



If they don't like the cage or box you put them in maybe it is way too large, or way too small. Do you have feed and water dishes available to them? If you have them in a warm room (for people) and then stick them outside where it is much colder - of course they will be upset. It's hard on their system when they go back and forth between too hot and too cold. Chicks have feathers that insulate their bodies. If they have a draft free secure area (coop) they will probably stay together and keep themselves warm. And venture out into a run when they feel like it.

You do have to keep them away from the older birds that will kill them if they get the chance. With the weather and all the newness of the situation, I think it would be better if you found a home for them. Raising "surprise" chicks would be much easier in the warm months.


If they are two months old, the mama must have been doing her job caring for them. They don't mother them forever and some new mothers aren't really sure what to do. They can't protect the babies from older birds all around them.
 
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