I had silkies and guineas in together until yesterday when I put the silkies by themselves and the new turkeys in with guineas. I thought they were eating and eating but NO! Its all on the floor of the brooder. Is it the turkeys? Or the guineas? Maybe my silkies were cleaning it up so I didn't notice it before. What can be done? Or do they just waste food? I am feeding them with those mason jar screw on feeder and waterer. Is there a magic age to put them outside in the hen house? I heard guineas should get a chilled when they are young and these guys are two weeks and getting big. Thanks in advance!
Lora
Which one is making the mess of all the food!
**shouldn't get chilled
I moved my guineas out to the coop about 3 wks old, but I put them in the with the chicks and put 2 brooder lights out that I hung from the ceiling. I just took the light away from them yesterday...lol. Although I had been moving them closer to the ceiling as time went by and weaned down to one light before going to none....
When I first moved them out the nights were still cold enough to frost and I was worried they would become suffer from it... Hence both the lights and for the first 10 days I kept the coop locked up, just opened the windows for ventilation. After 10 days I started to open their door to their yard every morning before I left for work. If the day was scheduled to be damp or chilly (not above 60*) I left one of the red lights on inside to drive off any chill.
The guineas are now about 7 1/2 wks old, and still living with the chickens. My intent was to turn them loose daily to free range and hopefully they would return every night but I haven't taken the leap yet.
The weather here is warm, the nights are staying above 50* and they return to the coop each night and roost with some of the chickens up high. I was more worried about my turkeys catching a chill when I moved them out and they are finally not panicking anymore at being out and about.
I find it's the turkeys that make the biggest mess food wise. The first thing they do when I fill a feeder (in their coop I use a trough) is get their big feet in their and scratch it out behind them. The chickens like to get in there and do a lil clean up...lol. The turkeys have their own "house/coop" but they are attached to the same yard.. yeah I know ppl say don't keep them together but I'm using the old barnyard concept and we'll see how that turns out.
I moved the ducks out yesterday.... they had been spending the days out but the nights inside. We'll see how it goes. They have chosen a favorite watering dish and drive off anyone else who wants to drink from it. I gave them a big tub of water but they chose a much smaller pan in the middle of the yard, go figure....lol
I have about 30 more chicks (mostly silkies, a few cochins and some blrw) that need to be "incorporated into the flock life.
It's been atleast 10 yrs since I had poultry. I am enjoying them but find myself spending way too much time worrying about them this time around. Why I don't know. We built our coop on a trailer flat bed (originally my intent was I could move the whole shoot and shebang around like a giant tractor) didn't work out that way because someone changed my plan. Anyway the chickens love the coop being up off the ground, they love to go underneath in the heat of the day or if they are frightened it's great security for them. Problem is some of them prefer to sleep under there and I am worried sick something like a weasel will get in the pen at night and kill those that refuse to go inside at night....
I spent night after night doing "round up" to force everyone inside the coop, it's not easy getting under there to get them either (that is my only downside to the coop being off the ground the way it is..) I finally decided last night I'm not going to do it anymore. Now the hard choice is do I lock the coop door so if you're late turning in well your tough luck or do I leave it open all night for stragglers or some that may change their minds and want to roost inside. Do you see what I mean about worrying too much...lol. Heck I've got 3 teenagers I don't need anything else to worry about!!!
The only night every single bird returned to the coop voluntarily was the evening it rained really hard, so they aren't stupid, just stubborn.
I do know on the humid nights even with the windows of the coop open a lot of the chickens seem to prefer to hang out on the "porch" of the coop (that is their little doorway with the ramp, it has an overhang above it) at night. So far nobody goes into the nest boxes , you'd think they would like them for sleeping....some of them still seem to prefer to sleep on the ground vs on a roost.
Good luck moving the babies outside, it's traumatic for you're nerves but mine really liked it a LOT. Much more room to spread their wings.....
~Julie =0)
thanks! I have heat lamp in the hen house. I am going to move them out tomorrow, I want to build a pen so they don't get "lost" in the hen house, panic or freeze (I know its june!) So it is those beastly turkeys! I knew it! Well, when Thanksgiving rolls around I won't feel so bad!
Gee I wonder who changed your plans! Mine had me going so bad yesterday I dropped a tree on my satillite dish because I wasn't paying attention to where it would fall and they to come today to replace it. He isn't allowed to use the chainsaw so I have to do it.
Thanks for all the help