When can baby chicks start to go outside, just for a few minutes with my kids to play?

When can baby chicks start to go outside, just for a few minutes with my kids to play? Can they peck the ground and still be ok?

coleson12 said:

When can baby chicks start to go outside, just for a few minutes with my kids to play? Can they peck the ground and still be ok?

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Also when do you start to raise feeder and waterer?

A lot depends on your weather and how old your chicks are. They can go outside for a few minutes to hours.

Give us some more information and we can tailor our responses better.

Chicks as young as one or two weeks are fine going outdoors for romps as long as the climate is in the temperature zone approximating their heat requirements. Two-week olds need it between 70 and 80F to be comfortable for any length of time.

Older chicks can tolerate much cooler temperatures.

I have a similar question that I havent been able to find a good answer for on here yet. We like in Milwaukee and would like to put our 4 out into our small coop at 5 weeks which is the 2nd weekend in May. I see lots on here when people do this with an existig flock but not foe little ones on their own. Outdoor temps at night typically or in the upper 40s by then and I woukd begin to harden them next week. Is this too soon/young or will they be fine?

4Wheelers said:

I have a similar question that I havent been able to find a good answer for on here yet. We like in Milwaukee and would like to put our 4 out into our small coop at 5 weeks which is the 2nd weekend in May. I see lots on here when people do this with an existig flock but not foe little ones on their own. Outdoor temps at night typically or in the upper 40s by then and I woukd begin to harden them next week. Is this too soon/young or will they be fine?

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I put mine out at that age with the night time temps in the 40s and they have been fine it should be ok but if you wanted you could give them a heat source to go to if they wanted

Part of the problem with this stuff is that there is no real cookbook answer. We are all unique so different things work for different people. We have different climates, different facilities, and we manage them differently. The answers are going to be different for different ones of us.

There are threads on here where a broody hen has raised chicks with the daytime temperatures below freezing. The chicks leave Mama’s protection and warmth long enough to eat and drink a bit but don’t stay out in that cold long. I’m not a mama hen and can’t manage that the way she does. You can take them outside at any time to let them play, but you have to be able to watch them and take care of them when or if they start acting cold.

My 3’ x 6’ brooder is in the coop. My chicks go straight there out of the incubator even if the outside temperature is below freezing. I keep one end pretty toasty but the other end cools off a lot, sometimes even below freezing. The chicks are really good at self-regulating temperatures when given a chance, even very young chicks. They eventually start playing in the cooler end but always have the warm area to go back to, much like a broody hen. By being exposed to the cold they feather out faster and acclimate themselves to the cold.

I feed a reasonably high protein feed, 20% protein. This is enough protein to promote good feather growth. If you feed them a lower protein feed or give them enough lower protein treats to affect their overall protein intake, they may feather out a little slower.

My grow-out coop and brooder have good draft protection but with good ventilation up high. A direct wind cannot hit them but bad air can be exchanged for good air.

I normally have around fifteen to twenty chicks at a time. That’s enough so if they are a little cool they can get together and warm each other. I’m not talking about heating the entire coop, just sharing body warmth like you would if you cuddled with another person.

I’ve had no problems with my chicks raised like this going through nights with lows below freezing at five weeks. During an unreal heat wave I turned the daytime heat off at 2 days and the overnight heat off at five days. I’ve seen a broody hen take her chicks to the roost at two weeks with lows in the lower 70’s. Not all made it to the roosts and spent the night with only the two chicks by themselves for warmth. They were OK. I’ve seen pretty young chicks go a long time in much cooler temperatures than are often recommended with no problems. The recommendations are there for a reason, they are a good safety net to help keep you out of trouble. But the chicks really are a lot tougher than most people realize.

If your chicks are raised in tropical conditions, they eat a fairly low protein diet, your climate is brutally cold, or your facilities are drafty, you might be a bit more cautious. You can start acclimating them at any time but realistically I’d wait until they are a week old at least. You don’t want them to get wet. They can chill quickly so wait until the dew dries.

I suggest that you start experimenting yourself so you gain confidence in what you are doing. But keep a close eye on them so you can intervene if you need too.

Thank you so much for the reply. I really do feel that they would be just fine and these birds are tougher than we think.

Mine are outside right now in grow out pen inside the run. They are two weeks old, it is about 60 degrees outside. I check on them every hour or so to make sure not to cold then bring them in at night. They will be permentantly moved there this weekend once I get a heat lamp with an extension cord for night time.

Forgot to mention high of 80 today.

glad to see ridgerunner make the 'mama hen' application. If someone hadn't done it I was going to emphasize that chicks don't stay under the hen 24/7 but know where to go for a quick warm up when they need to.

you could perhaps fix a 'cave' like the folks who do the heating pads in their brooders, only cover it with a dark landscape cloth. It will absorb heat and give them a place to duck under to warm up a few minutes if they need it.