So I have now a slight space dilemma....
As you may (or not) know I hatched 4 chicks in my incubator nearly 3 weeks ago. I have had them in a brood box which can hold up to 8 chicks I'd say, though it would probably get a little cramped in there eventually.
I have a heating plate in there, although I've removed it now because the 4 chicks aren't stopping underneath it anymore. They just bunch up together at night and in the day they just run around the box, scratch/forage etc all stuff they'd do in the run if they were outside.
Today the eggs that have been under my eldest hen are hatching. Well one so far. There are 6 altogether. I can't leave them in the coop because it's not adequate for chicks. They'll likely suffocate at night, like 3 did in the past when I had completely missed hatching (it happened early evening after the coop door was closed), or they'll fall to their death because it's much too high for little adventurers.
I had planned to mix the chicks in the brooder box, but I had forgotten how quickly they grow and I am now thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea at all....
So... Would it be ok to put the older chicks in their outside home now? I can't remember how old my current homegrown chickens were before they went outside but the box I had was even smaller, so 3 weeks sounds about right to be fair. Their outside home is a run and a small coop/nesting box, mostly shielded from the elements.
What do you think?
As you may (or not) know I hatched 4 chicks in my incubator nearly 3 weeks ago. I have had them in a brood box which can hold up to 8 chicks I'd say, though it would probably get a little cramped in there eventually.
I have a heating plate in there, although I've removed it now because the 4 chicks aren't stopping underneath it anymore. They just bunch up together at night and in the day they just run around the box, scratch/forage etc all stuff they'd do in the run if they were outside.
Today the eggs that have been under my eldest hen are hatching. Well one so far. There are 6 altogether. I can't leave them in the coop because it's not adequate for chicks. They'll likely suffocate at night, like 3 did in the past when I had completely missed hatching (it happened early evening after the coop door was closed), or they'll fall to their death because it's much too high for little adventurers.
I had planned to mix the chicks in the brooder box, but I had forgotten how quickly they grow and I am now thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea at all....
So... Would it be ok to put the older chicks in their outside home now? I can't remember how old my current homegrown chickens were before they went outside but the box I had was even smaller, so 3 weeks sounds about right to be fair. Their outside home is a run and a small coop/nesting box, mostly shielded from the elements.
What do you think?
