Something important tips. Baby chicks should be kept inside (garage is typically our recommendation) with a heat lamp that it closely monitored.
The best time to put chicks out into their coop is between 6-8 weeks. Or when they have lost all the downy feathers and begun to grow real feathers. They start to look a bit teenager-ish at this point. This is a sign they are getting more ready to be introduced into their coop.
Keep in mind they may go down their ramp, but likely will not be able to get back up. Checking on them throughout the day is recommended and then placing them into their house at night and closing the door is a good idea.
We try to remind our customers yearly about the use of heat lamps outside. We get anywhere from 10-20 calls per year of people looking for a new coop because theirs caught on fire due to a heat lamp. If you must use one the best bet is to use it from the outside of the coop instead of the inside.
Happy chick season everyone!
The urbannorthern team
]]>BUMBLE FOOT:
This past November we noticed one of our ducks had a very exaggerated limp. Alan caught her and we examined her foot which had a large wound on the bottom of it. We had never experienced Bumble foot nor had we really heard of it. So for 2 weeks straight nightly Alan would round up the duck - Alice, while I prepared a warm epsom salt soak, then I would proceed to "soak" her foot in the bath for as long as possible - about 10 mins. (Our other ducks Campbell & Mary Poopins typically were right next to the garage quacking loudly by this point) We then would apply Blue Kote wound spray and bandage her little webbed foot up in an attempt to keep it dry for a bit. As of this week the limp is completely gone! Bumble foot occurs when a chicken or a duck steps on something that pierces it's foot, it is basically an infection under the skin.
HEAT LAMPS in coops:
We have gotten 2 calls this week from people looking for a new coop because theirs caught on fire. Chickens DO NOT need an extra heat source once they are fully feathered, unless temperatures fall below -10 degrees. They do a very good job at keeping their body heat in. Make sure your house & coop suits the number of chickens you have. You don't want it too large as they won't use up all the space, they tend to huddle together to keep warm. They instinctively know what they need to do. Your main job is making sure their water doesn't freeze and that if they get snowed on or their feathers get wet that they don't get frost bite. Think about it. Birds fly around all winter long. No one offers them a warm house they build their nests right outside in the elements and they do fine. Birds are great at acclimating to their surroundings.
Lastly, we are really excited about our new Turquoise & Gray limited edition Lodge color. Set to be ready to ship mid-February. As of now we are stocked up on Kona's, Farmhouse's & Resort coops and are gearing up for a great spring!
As always we enjoy hearing about your chickens and seeing the awesome pictures you guys send us.
Happy New Year
UrbanNorthern Team
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