8 week old chicks (cold wet rainy weather)

[chicken pickin]

My 12 8 week old chicks have been outside in their coop and run for almost 2 weeks. we took the heat lamp away a few nights ago since they are fully feathered. The temps are in the low 40s for night time and yesterday it started to rain and its suppose to last another day or 2. I have been letting them out to the run in the morn for an all rainy outting and they put themselves to bed at about 730 then I close them up for the night. Is this ok or because I just took the heat lamp away is adding rainy weather to the list of new things too soon? Also we are going to have a few night coming up soon that will be in the 30s they should be ok right? I figured turning the light on some nights and off others may confuse them or wreck the progress weve made to get them off the heat? Any comments suggestions or advice?.

 

[CorinneP]

If they are feathered and you have 12 they will go in for shelter and huddle together .. I am quite confident they will be just fine <3

 

[CarolJ]

I agree - they'll be fine. You can always put the heat lamp back in if the weather gets extremely cold and you are REALLY concerned. However, at eight weeks, they should be pretty much feathered out. And they really don't need as much heat as we think they do.

 

[chicken pickin]

Thanks I thought they would be ok too but im new at this and still a tad nervous Im gonna do something wrong lol. This is gonna be a never ending learning experience. So far Im loving it. Im alreading begging hubby for a second coop and 3 or 4 bantams. maybe next year though. Im trying for goats in the fall Hubby shakes his head at me and thinks im nuts.