should i leave them out or shouldn't i??

[lynda66]

i was planning on acclimatising the babies slowly to being outside, but it's actually a lot warmer in the house than i thought, and battery ones seem to cope, going from warm to cold ........ do you think i should bring them in, or leave them out, they are currently all snuggled up on the perch looking very cute?? they are 10 weeks old today

[MaureenHall]

If they're all snuggly and seem quite happy, then I'd leave them. You do realise though that it's light at 7am now don't you? They'll be wanting to get up then

[lynda66]

yeah well they are used to getting fed about 11pm, and i give them half an hour to scoff, then put the light off most nights, so they still have some left for brekkie, so think i'll keep doing that for a while, they'll think they died of starvation if they don't get their bedtime food lol

anyway they can get up no problem, though they might not see me at that time, i'm usually just falling asleep then lol

gonna have to get a permanent light sorted though, not good having extension leads running out there lol

[Snadger]

I presume you are just locking them up in the coop you fashioned for them Lynda?
I'm in the process of building mine at the mo as well!

[lynda66]

yep, they are in there now, they have had a good play and dug all the straw out, and buried the food and water at least 5 times ........ i think they like it .... i may even make a start on the run tomorrow, although they will be happy in the shed, with a run out for an hour or 2 weather permitting, that's what they've been getting up to now, but the shed is massive compared to their play pen

take lots of piccies, cos you might come up with good ideas people can use

[Alice]

Those chooks need to be outside, not in your living room. I'd leave them there.

[lynda66]

lol, well i did intend them to be out before now lol anyway, they like being house chooks lol

[lynda66]

ok, well they are outside,still, they have just had a good feed, and i've put em to bed on the perch and pingu is snoring, think they are nice and happy, ...... i've left some extra food in for the morning, cos they aren't used to such early nights ........ oh and i haven't been out 5 times since i turned the light off to check on em ....... honest ..... and really i'm not worried really i'm not

[kirsty b]

They will be fine. I was given some 10wk old chicks in 2007, and they lived with the big girls till I got fed up of the bullying, then they got moved to the greenhouse which was emtpy for the winter. They were perfectly fine, and so will yours.

[Nicos]

...and how are they after their first sleepover????...any hangovers between them????

[lynda66]

well i went out at 9, so much for auntie Mo's they'll be up at 7 lol, they were all on the perch fast asleep still, i went in and they all did their morning stretch, and just looked at me as though to say ok what now, we can see food but errrmmmm.

so i helped the little darlings off the perch and down to the food

i think i shall modify it by lowering the perch rather than raising the splat tray .... anyway they are now tucking into a nice hot brekkie, before their morning nap

the splat tray works a treat though, lovely clean bedding

[MaureenHall]

They're obviously not early risers (yet) then I'm glad they settled and were ok for the night. You can have your house back now ................................... till the next lot!

[lynda66]

i cleaned out the playpen last night ....... tis the first time for ages i haven't had the smell of chicken poop first thing ....... i actually missed em this morning, it's just not the same when you haven't got strangled cockerel noises to wake up to and while you're making their brekkie

[HayleyB]

I could just picture them on their perch looking at the brekkie, discussing who's gonna take the jump then,

*you go, nah you go, nah I'm not that daft, you go, whaaaaaaat break me bloody neck no chance

[lynda66]

yup that's exactly how they were, i had to help, i'm sure they'll get the idea eventually

wouldn't mind, but it's nowhere near as tall as the playpen and they managed to get on the rail of that the instant i opened the top up.