Can my Cornish Cross chicks go outside?

[tiny529]

Hi! I have 2 Cornish cross "chicks" that are about 3 weeks old. They are huge compared to the rest of my 2-3 week old chicks (a mix of Tractor Supply dual purpose breeds and packing peanuts from a friend's Ideal order). The Cornish Crosses are about 10 times bigger than everyone else and they are getting pecked and bloodied by the littlest chicks of the bunch. I'd like to put them outside, but there is still snow on the ground and they'd be in the chicken tractor. What are their chances for survival if I put them out now? I live in PA and the 10 day forecast is showing that the highs are mostly going to be in the 40s.

 

[Hillaire]

if there is still snow on the ground I would hold off from putting them outside as they are still a little too small to handle that weather. I honestly would set up another brooder and get them out from the other chicks.

 

[tiny529]

I have the Cornish Crosses in a small dog cage right now. They are in the same pen as the other chicks, but they can keep away from those little pecky beaks. The quarters are tight, though. I've been letting them out here and there to stretch their wings. It's funny... I let them out yesterday around bedtime and almost all of the other chicks ran into the cage. I guess they were curious. Well, I shut them all in and let the marshmallows have the run of the brooder all night. At the first peep of dawn, I swapped them out again.

So when do you think they could go out? I'm hoping that the snow will go away this week.

 

[Hillaire]

once they are fully feather which they should be pretty close by now, right? and when the ground isn't covered in snow and the ground isn't frozen.. where are you located? I'm in NY and yeah yesterday was the first day of spring but nobody told NY lol

 

[LovelyChicks130]

I just looked at the calendar and realized mine will be 5 weeks old on Friday. They were a week old when we got them. It will only be 19 degrees tonight, but it is 50 today and I took the meaties outside for the first time. I don't think I should leave them outside though....never raised meaties before. They are full feathered except their chests. I assume their chests are bare because they lay around a lot. Not sure what to do myself. I have 14 other smaller chicks in the house here they've been living with.

 

[tiny529]

They are fully feathered and are starting to chirp instead of peep. I'm about 45 minutes north of Philadelphia. The ground isn't frozen, just really muddy, though it shouldn't be in the tractor since it has a roof over the back half and wire cloth over the front half. There is still snow in patches today, but a lot melted off yesterday. Mother Nature is still showing her bipolar weather patterns for this week. The forecast is 35 today, 42 tomorrow, 48 Friday, 70 Saturday, and 43 on Sunday, but who knows if that forecast is correct. The weather was showing in the highs 40s yesterday, but it hit 60. If it warms up this afternoon like it did yesterday, I'll take them outside for a bit, but they are going out to stay no later than Saturday! =)