Rooster and heat lamp problems

[Bryce Thomas]

I have 2 hens and 1 rooster. All are silkies and love them with all my heart. I have 9 silkie eggs going to hatch on Tuesday and I have my rooster in a dog cage in my coop because roosters love to kill chicks because they don't know they are apart of their flock. My rooster, Koa eats the grit and food but won't drink any water. The dog cage is in the shade and I have everything ready for the chicks like a brooder and a heat lamp and I already have everything ready in the cage for Koa but he just won't drink any water. Also when I turn on my heat lamp )I bought both bulb and lamp from shoppers, the bulb is 250watts) I smell burning rubber. My friends have used the same bulb and lamp but have no problems. What should I do about my rooster and should I buy a 150watt bulb?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Are the chicks going to be seperated and brooder somewhere or are they being brooder by hens currently? I've never separated males in my flocks when my gals hatch eggs

 

[Bryce Thomas]

My chickens are in my backyard and my brooder is in my room. I don't have chicken wire but I have fencing that is similar to it but chicks could squeeze through it so I am going to have them inside

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Then why is the male penned up at all?

 

[Bryce Thomas]

Its kind of complicated, Im an FFA student and my chickens are at my high school, we have a nice FFA program where we have goats, lambs, pigs, cows and chickens and ducks. I tell people I own backyard chickens rather then go into some big explanation. My FFA teacher is helping me with my rooster but I just want to get some help from a forum community. I cant be down there at the school all the time for them, so that is why.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

But if the chicks are not with the hens, there is no reason for the male to be separated. Is he with the heat lamp or is the heat lamp with your chick brooder?

 

[Bryce Thomas]

The heat lamp is with my chicken brooder. I just need the rooster to be seperated for the day until the chicks hatch. I am going down to the farm on the school property directly afterschool so help with the chicks. I am then going to go home with the newly hatched chicks then release the rooster. I just cant have him attacking my chicks while im in school. Nobody is allowed on the farm while the FFA kids are not down there.

 

[aart]

seperated for the day until the chicks hatch

Hatched in an incubator..... or a broody hen.....at the school?

 

[Bryce Thomas]

I am sorry for not clarifying. Hatched under a broody hen. And yes it is at the school, as weird as that sounds. The AG teacher actually owns the farm land (we call it the landlab) so its actually just private property. She teaches shop, welding, engineering and bio systems. She lets us keep our animals down on the farm. Because its private property, the school can't do anything if they dont want animals down there

 

[aart]

Hatched under a broody hen.

If chicks are with a broody, they don't need a heat lamp.