Weather Outside - Moving Chicks

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Chickenpatty84

Chickenpatty84

In the Brooder
Oct 14, 2015
24
0
32
SE Louisiana
Hey Y'all,

I've attached a pic of the upcoming weather in my area. My chicks are 6.5-7 weeks old, are feathered and are getting big. They've been living in an area of the house that has consistently been around 55-60F, with a heat lamp approximately 3 feet above them. I plan on moving them outside around Tuesday, after the "frost" leaves. Agree or disagree. Thanks.

 
Before you move them, let them spend a few nights without the heat lamp. That way, they will be weaned off the heat, which they should have been two weeks ago.

If you fill out your profile, we can look up your weather ourselves, and it will be easier to advise you.
 
Thanks for the quick response. Sorry, forgot to say that I've been turning it off for a few days now. Just want to say, I'm getting some mixed readings on this site about when to let my chicks go into our coop. About five days ago when I mentioned I turned my heat lamp off in my indoor brooder and the chicks started to huddle together to stay warm, people got a bit upset at me. I understand that there are probably hundreds of thousands of people on this site with varying opinions so I guess some variance is to be expected.

Really appreciate the help.
 
Chicks are individuals with individual needs, and there are no "rules" to fit all cases.

There are some general guidelines you can use as a starting point. Most chicks are well feathered from four weeks and by six weeks they are usually pretty well insulated. During this period, it is a good idea to wean chicks off heat.

That said, you always need to watch your chicks' behavior and let them tell you what they need. If they are huddled in a tight bunch, apparently struggling to keep warm, then perhaps they need heat a bit longer. When chicks are avoiding the heat, getting as far away as possible, they nor longer need heat.

You can wean by decreasing the wattage from a 250 watt bulb to a 100 watt, and raising the lamp also can accomplish this.
 

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