[chooknewbie]

I have an indoor guinea pig/rabbit hutch for when my lil eggies hatch (crossing everything)...whats the best thing to put on the floor? they need something they can grip on if i remember rightly (to stop their legs splaying?) rather than newspaper, is this right? Also, I intend on using a household bendy desklamp (have read somewhere this would be ok), and that the temp under it needs to be 100 degrees (F naturally)...is that about right?...and if so, anyone have any idea which wattage bulb would do that???...

[Vember]

I've had my Guinea fowl babies in a huge fish tank, lined with tin foil on the sides & bottom, then a couple of layers of newspaper on top of foil (screwed up paper before putting it in made it more wrinkley instead of smooth)  Kitchen roll i think is another option

With a 60 watt red bulb in, they are in my computer room which stays at around 65/66f

And that has worked fine they're 2 weeks old now and doing fine, oh ye and also put a teddy in for them to snuggle down in,

And pebbles in the water dish so they can't drown

Hope that give you some idea's Chooky,

although someone might have a better solution for the floor?


Vember x

[nettynoodles1]

hi i hatched 3 chicks under a broody and had to take them away from her as she was ill. Never had babies without mum b4 so put them in hamstercage with kitchen roll and a thin layer of shavings. just a handfull as i found the kitchen roll moved about. I just used a lamp from ikea that i had with a  plain 100watt bulb, no infra red  bulb lol :oops:
the pics of my babies are on here theyre doing great.


makes me wonder why places charge so much for broody cages/heating eqip :?

[chooknewbie]

was thinking of a towel, but like the kitchen roll idea cos then can just dispose of rather than having to try and get washed...

have got a 100 watt bulb so should be good....i will have a dummy run will thermometer under it to have a look see... the room they are going to be in is sitting at about 70 anyway so shouldnt be too hard to bump it up...

read somewhere that a jam jar lid would be ok for the water and food. will it still need something in it to stop them drowning or will that be shallow enough??...or recommed something else... i am thinking it might tip quite easily?

[nettynoodles1]

i buy the cheap  :oops:  cat food dishes from asda for my babies just the small ones

[chooknewbie]

oooh.....might go have a look then...are they pot or plastic? thinking pot being heavier might be less likely to get knocked over in the scramble.....ooo.....how often do you feed the lil darlings??? my ladies are on an as and when basis as have a big feeder, but am assuming you cant do that with chicks??? would they eat themselves silly?

[Jellyhead]

No they wont. I keep dish fairly full when hand rearing. They tend to eat what they want and need

[chooknewbie]

phew..one less thing to worry about...... just got to hope they hatch yet...lol...fingers crossed monday onwards

[Kate and her Ducks]

Hi Chook,
I used old towels and just changed them daily for the first couple of days. After that I used wood shavings. Apparently shouldn't used them before that or they can eat them and bung themselves up (well with ducks anyway. I just used a lamp too but in a plastic box so that the heat stayed in.

[chooknewbie]

dont think i have a plastic box big enough for 8 of the lil darlins....!....if they dont all hatch then i should be ok...might line the bottom with some tinfoil as suggested earlier and then some paper and a think cloth....got some old terry nappies or muslins somewhere,...they used to poop...lol

[Kate and her Ducks]

I got the biggest storage box I could find at B and Q (other DIY stores are available) and they stayed in that for the first few days untill they were hardy enough to run around when warm and back into the box at night.

[chooknewbie]

ONE HAS PIPPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they arent due til sun/mon!

I have dug out a plastic box that I have got.... thinking about their size it should be ok for the first few days, then i think i will move them to the guinea pig hutch...am getting another lamp aswell and will put in a teddy so fingers crossed they should be ok...

[chooknewbie]

TWO HAS PIPPED!!

[Roughlee Handled]

Sorry but where are the PHOTOS?[/color]

[chooknewbie]

they have pipped...lol....thats all....i have got webcam on for when they actually do something spectacular...