Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[poppy ben grace]

Hi , just wanted to ask what you use to put your new chicks in when they come out of the incubator. i have a heat lamp or an electric hen to use and was thinking of putting the chicks in a box to begin with in the shed(well ventilated and secure with windows to let in plenty of light, etc). Am i right in thinking you need to keep the chicks in your house if you use an electric hen? Will they be ok with a heatlamp in the shed?I wanted to avoid having them in the house if i can. Do any of you have any pictures of the housing you have used for your newborns?

My first hatchlings are with their broody mum so havent had to use the heat lamp before, i know it will be harder work without a broody hen but needs must! My dear Oh is going to build me an ark to put them in when they can come outside(thankfully he is a carpenter)! Any tips/advice would be much appreciated!

Of course i may not have any hatch( its only day 2 since i set them) but i would like to be prepared!

[Redwing]

I use indoor rabbit hutches

 

I use a lamp for the first few days as that gives better visibility of the chicks so I can see that they are eating and drinking ok, they then get moved to the shed where there is a similar cage and electric hen

 

The downside of not using the electric hen from day one is that when you do you have to pop them under for the first few nights until they get used to it

 

Putting them straight in the shed with an electric hen is fine though, set the electric hen so their backs can touch it so they are nice and snug then raise it up as they grow. A large cardboard box or storage crate is ok to use if you dont have a cage, cover the top with some wire mesh though.

 

If the shed door is to be left open during the day always use a cage with a proper catch but still be wary of predators

 

Here is one of my cages

 

[sjp]

I use a 'really usefull'storage crate from Staples the 84ltr ones with an electric hen the stay in the box for 2 weeks in the winter then they go into a home made indoor pen still with the eletric hen till they decide that they don't need the heat

the easter hatch this year went straight in to the indoor pen and electric hen set up ant were off heat in about 3 weeks their choice but it took me a week to catch on that they had stopped useing the heat

all this takes place in my front room

[Kirstie]

I've just had my first hatch this weekend and my lot are now in a dog cage and i have lined the sides with cardboard to stop the chicks falling out (and all the mess that comes with them) and I have already had to change the height of the cardboard to halfway up the sides of the cage as the chicks are jumping on the electric hen - putting them higher for falling out, plus the cat has been trying to put his arm in the cage!

[chicken bark]

If you are using an electric hen a tip I had was to make one end slightly higher than the other - that way the chicks had some control over how much heat they got. I use a plastic crate with a red bulb for the first week or so then move them into a heath robinson brooder made out of a damaged run and random bits of wood. Fortunately they are not fussy.

[poppy ben grace]

Thankyou all for your ideas, alot to think about and some really good advice as always! Lots to organise but at least it will keep me busy while i wait to see if i have any fertiles! Will post again if/when i have some good news...