truest, i was teasing. it will be barred or cuckoo coloring! like my sexlink roos maybe! i take it she is one of Davey's crosses?
Chicks staying out all night?
Hey MollyD and TF! DH and I put our GH on hold as
we have had our hands full with grankids, son in hospital
and now, the chickens. But, we have the goodies for our
hoop style GH, and were going with a pvc- but, Geneivy
used cattle panels, we call em bull panels, they sound a
lot more sturdy. Even letting chickens free range some
in a greenhouse would get some of the bugs out. I know they
can tear up plants if anything was in some sort of bed.
My chicks are so happy to be outside. I moved the last 2
out yesterday.
TF, you little monster- giving me a hard time. Yeah, she's
one of Davey and Blanca's. Blanca *was* a white leghorn.
She attacked me for the last 3 times early in the week. I
just couldn't take it any more. ah, well, I could not have her
teaching the others to do that- Davey was starting to.
Hopefully, and I say that with emphasis, cuz I like him,
he won't do that any more.
4 of their chicks are white or wh with black speckles. If
hens, at least I know they will lay big eggs. The other 2
are black, the one up there having the cuckoo coloring.
The all black one has black legs. I just hope none of them
inherits the ornery gene.
My chicks are outside now too. Friday night they kept us up all night scratching and squawking in their brooder/kennel. They are almost 5 weeks old and the weather is in the 70s in the daytime, 40s at night. Last night I hung their brooder light in the pen and they slept under it. Today we made a ladder to their upper coop room and I put a 60 watt bulb to help keep the chill off. They all trundled up at nightfall and seem very content in their new apartment.
Tomorrow I'll try to find a less bright light, the white light of the bulb seems to be encouraging them to stay up and party!
This message was edited Mar 24, 2008 1:10 AM
We've been very cold here the last few days. Night before it was 15, last night 19 so still way too cold for young birds. That's why at this point I'm not rushing out to buy any birds yet. I figure late April if they're just hatched chicks, May if they're a bit older. The plants that are in the greenhouse right now (it's jamb packed so I couldn't fit any chicks in there) won't go into the ground till late April at the very earliest.
Catscan some folks here have mentioned a red heat lamp. Looks like a red bulb to me. Maybe something like that would do the trick?
MollyD
Hi MollyD, I used to live in Victor and teach at Finger Lakes--so I get nostalgic every time I see your posts. I used their red heater light the first night--but it seemed too hot to go in the boxed in 2X4 "coop room" I wanted them to sleep in. The 60 watt was all I had around the house--but it is bright white. Today I will try to find a regular red bulb or a smaller heater bulb at the feedstore. How are Sonnenberg Gardens? Still going?
Hi!
I was thinking you were in Lodi California, not NY!
Sonneberg Gardens are still here. After that big fiasco with that crooked director the state Parks Department took over the place and has slowly been trying to restore it. It's really sad. They have these magnificent trees and no labels to tell you what they are. Since they came from many different parts of the world they aren't trees we can easily identify. In the greenhouses they've been adding plants but all the really valuable ones were sold off so all that's in there are rather common everyday type plants. I think it will take at least ten years to get it back on track. I've been there twice in the last two years. Last time I took my sister who was visiting us and we did a tour of the house. That fared better than the gardens.
Good luck with the light thing!
MollyD
well, yes, the white light keeps them up. once they can stay warm without a light, just turn it off for 12 hours. till then a red bulb is best. if the brooder lamp is the only one you have, just clip it up higher away from them and they won't get so hot.
TF, I candled again today. Had to take out 3 more eggs. They looked clear. There was something in them, but it was much smaller than the others which now have veins. I broke open one of the bad ones and all that was there was a smashed yolk and nothing else. So, I did right. ;o))
yes, you did!
Hi MollyD and TamaraFaye. I am in CA now--when we moved to Lodi from Victor my sons claimed I ruined their lives (they were 9 and 12 at the time). One is in graduate school now at NYU. When I taught at FLCC (it was CCFL then) we used Sonnenberg Gardens to teach plant materials. The trees were stunning--but even then they were in trouble. I hope the State is able to turn things around. It is an incredible resource.
I replaced the white 60 watt bulb with a red 100 watt tonight. The pullets are 5 weeks old and are really too mature to need supplemental heating in an enclosed space, but I feel guilty putting them outdoors when the night temps are still in the 40s. Guilt. Its a Mom thing.
your mom instinct is right. they still need about 70 degrees for a while... i was late getting mine brought in. they panicked when it got dark and they had no light. one was smashed and died... ;-(
but those poor hens. with a light in there sometimes the guineas never shut up...
tf
It is good to get validation, TamaraFaye. These chicks feathered out very quickly, but they are still quite small and I felt sure they weren't ready for such cold night temps. I am so sorry about your poor little chick. How old are they? Fortunately the neighboring house is empty, so my red light and muttering chicks are not bothering anyone.
Hi Catscan,
Am I going to gloat today :-) I told my Paul I thought you were in California and he's the one who insisted you must be in Lodi, NY ! HA!HA!
Your sons didn't like trading snow for beach sand ? LOL Mine would have loved it!
MollyD
mine are six weeks. going to see how they are this morning...