Indoor chicken run update

Chirpy and the other three chicks certainly enjoyed having a bit of extra room and settled in well to their new accommodation. However, on Wednesday evening when I turned the infrared lamp off, it quickly became apparent that the chicks needed more warmth in their new home. As a temporary measure I put one of the Ecoglow heated pads in to the run to provide some extra warmth, but I spent quite a sleepless night worrying that the chicks would be cold.

I need not have worried because the chicks were fine. Chirpy spent the night on the perch, but the three younger chicks snuggled up together under the heated pad. I installed the Ecoglow heater pad permanently in the chicken run above where the tubular heater is to create a cosy space for the chicks which is heated from below and from above (see photo).

The heated pad is sitting on two wooden runners and I slid the heated pad to one side and blanked off the space at the other side with a piece of plywood cut to the right size. Finally I put a piece of fleece blanket on top of the wooden shelf under which the tubular heater is. The chicks love it. They have the choice of sitting under the heated pad, or if they get too warm they can sit over the other side, or get on to the perch. The following photo shows (from left to right) Blondie, Sweep and Sooty in their "cosy space".

Last night the chicks (and I) spent a much more comfortable night. Chirpy spent the night on the perch again. All the chicks love their new home, and Sooty has been jumping from one perch to the other like a trapeze artist and basically trying to outdo Chirpy at every possible opportunity. Chirpy has been keeping fit by going back and forth, running from one end of the run, flying over the feeder and landing up the other end of the run (and scaring the living daylights out of the other chicks in the process)! Blondie and Sweep are quite happy to leave Chirpy and Sooty to it and have a sleep in their cosy space.