Brooder - To Coop - To Run? so confused :)

My 6 week chicks & 4 week chicks recently got moved to the coop from their brooder. Right now I have them locked in the coop with a heat lamp (for now) and no access to their run.... Do I really have to keep them cooped-up? It's summer, in the 80s during the day and I'll keep the lamp in the coop until they're fully feathered.... The consensus seems to be 8 weeks until they move to the coop, so am I just completely "rushing" things?

Their run is secure and I do no plan on free-ranging them - so does the 3 week "lock up" period only pertain to free range chickens?

Lol - I've reached the confusion point While they were still inside my house in the brooder I'd bring them out for "all-day" field trips to their run. They love it... they've actually spent most days in the last two weeks outdoors.... so now it just seems silly to deny them access for 3 weeks.... OR are they just too young for all this... see, obviously confused!?

Aside from my confusion they are seemingly loving their new space, the roosts, bigger feeder & waterer, etc...

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Flock: 4 Lavender Orpingtons, 2 Buff Brahmas, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 1 Light Brahama, 1 Australorp, 1 Favorelle, & 1 Mystery white chicken!?

Turn the light off and let them out. The 6 weeks old are fine with no supplemental heat. The 4 week old are on the border but depending upon how many chicks you have, they should be fine as well. If you are getting only down to 60's at night, I wouldn't worry about it at all.

I agree, they should be fine, the all day field trips were a great way to transition. When mine were that young, they all just huddled together at night, whether they need it or not

I absolutely agree. They will be just fine, and they don't need the heat lamp. If they get a little chilly at night they'll do what they did in the brooder, snuggle together, and during the day they'll be able to be chickens - enjoying their run and their time in the sun. Mine were 5.5 weeks old when I put them out, but I worried about the 2 who were a week younger, even though they were very well feathered. I had taken the heat lamp out of the brooder a few days before, then began cracking the window in theroom they were in. It wasn't above them to put a draft on them, but it did bring the temp in the room down. I could almost hear their feathers growing!

Oh, wouldn't you know? It snowed the next day or the day after that when we put them in the coop. First night they had the heat lamp, but every single time I checked on them they were just fine. Second night I checked them, they were again cuddling together, but this time they were in front of the pop door and totally away from the lamp. Okay, lamp came out, chicks stayed out, I stayed in the house, and they are now almost 19 weeks old and sound and healthy. And despite the fact that we actually got a bit of snow even on June 4th, they still hit their run at the crack of dawn and spend the day. At night they line up and head for the coop.

Chickens, while needing good quality, consistent care, aren't as fragile as we think they are. Our sensibilities, however, are more fragile and we can find boogy-men and monsters behind every roost.

Edited to add: Just this week we finally broke 50 for nighttime temps. Last week our furnace kicked on. So 60 is a nice temp at night - I'm looking forward to it!

Thanks so much for the replies! It's easy to become "paranoid" when reading SO much... You read/hear "never before 8 weeks", "lock them up for 3"... glad to know I'm not rushing things! I'm sure my chicks will enjoy your feedback too as they can have some 4th of July freedom of their own! Thanks again, everyone!!