Well, we're unexpectedly starting our poulty adventure TODAY! I'm going with a friend to get 6 baby chickens today and I need to get organised!! We don't have a proper chook house yet, but we have some time up our sleeve for that apparently? In the mean time I've been told they need to sleep inside in a cardboard box with a lamp, and they can go outside during the day in our spare metal rabbit hutch. Is this right? And I think we can probably let them run around the yard a bit during the day while we're outside to watch them. My friend bought us some chicken starter yesterday (which I assume is food, lol - I'm SUCH a novice!).
Any helpful ideas? I really have no idea, although my friend will give me some advice of course (she has chooks).
Thanks!
Karen
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Sometimes they snuggle up together right next to the lamp, and at other times they happily wander around the cage, so I'm assuming things are ok. No dead chickees yet!!! :)
Well, we got the 6 GORGEOUS little chickens and they've lived through their first night!! They've received MANY MANY cuddles. My 7yo daughter even sings hers to sleep in her hands. So cute.
Anyway, I need some advice about keeping them warm enough. Cuz it's summer, we're not keeping them constantly under a lamp. The kids are getting them out for cuddles, and sometimes playing with them outside. Is that ok?
The rest of the time, and at night, they're in a wooden box in the laundry, with a "desk lamp" shining in one corner of the cage. It's one of those ones with a halogen globe, I think. It's 20W. I'm worried that this isn't enough heat. They're sometimes huddled right up underneath it, but they also move around at other times.
It's hard to buy the old style 100W globes, or suitable lamps to put them in! My husband has brought home a different type of desk lamp from Bunnings, with a "40W Spot - Focused Beam". At most it can take a 40W incandescent globe, which doesn't seem hot enough to me (since they apparently need 100W globes?)
Has anyone got any better ideas or know where I can buy the right kind of thing?
Thanks - we do NOT want these much loved chicks to die!!
They're either day old or week old chicks. We have a "pet taxi" which will be fine for picking them up but not big enough for 6 chickens, plus a feeder & waterer (neither of which we have yet). I'm wondering if I can just keep them in a plastic crate when they're inside, and have our rabbit hutch set up for outside during the day (plus we can let them out when we're out there, to roam around on the grass under our supervision). How long do they need to stay completely inside under a lamp for?
Mel said:
how old are they? By 5 weeks they will be fine outside day and night (esp in this heat).
Replies
Anyway, I need some advice about keeping them warm enough. Cuz it's summer, we're not keeping them constantly under a lamp. The kids are getting them out for cuddles, and sometimes playing with them outside. Is that ok?
The rest of the time, and at night, they're in a wooden box in the laundry, with a "desk lamp" shining in one corner of the cage. It's one of those ones with a halogen globe, I think. It's 20W. I'm worried that this isn't enough heat. They're sometimes huddled right up underneath it, but they also move around at other times.
It's hard to buy the old style 100W globes, or suitable lamps to put them in! My husband has brought home a different type of desk lamp from Bunnings, with a "40W Spot - Focused Beam". At most it can take a 40W incandescent globe, which doesn't seem hot enough to me (since they apparently need 100W globes?)
Has anyone got any better ideas or know where I can buy the right kind of thing?
Thanks - we do NOT want these much loved chicks to die!!
Mel said:
By 5 weeks they will be fine outside day and night (esp in this heat).