Warm boot recommendations please

[mjostephens@yahoo.com]

Hello,  I was wondering how old my chicks should be before I put them out in the eglu cube with the 6' run?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Also, how do I teach them to go up to the roost so I can enclose them at night once I start putting them in the run?

[The Dogmother]

It all depends on the climate at the time and how oyu have protected the run on your cube. Ideally, you will have  a clear waterproof cover on the run. They will struggle to negotiate the steps and TBH, I have kept chicks in the Classic and run until they were about 12 weeks old, but then I have always hatched under a broody. If they are incubated, then wait until they are at least 6 weeks old before puttign them outdoors, but I doubt they will be able to manage the ladder at that age. 

[mjostephens@yahoo.com]

Thank you for the info..  I'm in Phoenix Az. It was 104 today.  I am going to cover part of the run with a shade cover.  They are 4 weeks old today and quite big.  

[The Dogmother]

I would be worried about chicks in that heat TBH - adult hens are a different matter.

[mjostephens@yahoo.com]

Hello again,  So my chicks are now over 6 weeks old.  Here in Phoenix it is above 100 during the day but drops to the hi 70's.  My chicks have been transitioned to outside for about a week (just under).  I have trees that cover the eglu coop and run and I have a portion of the yard fenced off with the eglu fencing.  In the yard I have a rectangular dish with a hose that is dripping water very slowly, so it keeps the water in the dish all day long, which they love to walk in.

They haven't figured out how to go up the steps into the coop, so every night, I have to close the coop door, close the run door (while they are in the fenced yard), and then heard them into a corner where I am able to pick them up and put them into the coop.  In the coop I have water and food (they have plenty of room for it now).

Every morning, I open the coop and they all either walk down the stairs or fly out into the run.  It is now a 9' run.

I would be able to heard them into the run, but its 9' deep so if they don't get into the coop so I can close it, I would have to belly crawl to get them.

I am afraid to leave them out in the eglu run at night, even though it has the predator proof fencing on the edges, because they all huddle together to sleep, even when I had the heater on them, they would go to the far end away from the heater and huddle together.  I would be afraid a predator could reach their pay into the square and nab at least a portion of them, and then pull them out.  

What is your suggestion about teaching them to go into the coop.  Do I need to get a board to place inside the coop so they can walk up it, rather than the stairs?  

When will they know that they need to go into the coop, not just the run?

You can see in one of the photos how some of them are all huddled together.  (they are not huddling because it is cold, its already starting to warm up).  I usually keep them in there if I am going to be gone during the day, or if I am home, I wait until after 10 a.m., because if there is going to be a fox or coyote walking down the street it will either be early in the morning, or early evening.

Any suggestions on teaching them to go into the run and up into the coop.  Since it is a 9 foot coop, its not like I can get in there very easy to pick them up from inside the run.

[Patricia W]

I would make a wooden slope with horizontal wooden slats tacked across like steps on so they can walk up. 

[mjostephens@yahoo.com]

Thank you.

[The Dogmother]

Putting a torch in the housing at night (until they're all in) will encourage them to go inside.

[mjostephens@yahoo.com]

When you say torch, do you mean a night light run off a battery?  

[Cat tails]

Or just a flashlight. Any battery operated light will do.

[The Dogmother]

14 minutes ago, Cat tails said:

Or just a flashlight. Any battery operated light will do.

My mistake; I think that 'flashlight' is American for 'torch'.... perhaps 

[mjostephens@yahoo.com]

   I was thinking that was what you meant.

[Cat tails]

2 hours ago, The Dogmother said:

My mistake; I think that 'flashlight' is American for 'torch'.... perhaps 

Jup!

[mjostephens@yahoo.com]

I just wanted to say thank you.  The light "torch" worked perfectly.  The first night I put a flash light up in the coop, and they all slowly one by one hopped up the ladder and into the coop.  About the only struggle is that some of the chicks want to sit right at the door, blocking some of the chicks entrance.  It is kind of fun to watch as they push their way in or hop over to get in.  

[The Dogmother]

The 'door duty' thing is normal, mine do it. They sort themselves out in the end though.