Advice on getting chicks moved outside

[ShakeandBake21]

Hi! I have some 5 week old chickens who are brooding in my house but I’m thinking ahead to transitioning them to their coop. I am not planning on putting them outside until they are fully feathered in a few more weeks but could use some advice on how best to do that. I have been taking them out to their run on 50 degree days (and now since they have most of their feathers 40ish degrees) and letting them stay out for a while until they (or I) are ready to go in.

What I am wondering is how to transition them to being out in their coop overnight? I’m in N. IL and we’ve been in the low 30s overnight. Their coop is dry and draft free but I imagine going from a 60ish degree house overnight to 30 degrees overnight in their coop would cause them stress. Any help is much appreciated! I won’t put a heat lamp in their coop but I could get one of those radiant heat plates if need be (though I don’t want them reliant on supplementary heat).
Thanks for any advice you might have!!

 

[CoconutCoffee]

I just put mine out full time when they were fully feathered but it wasn't in the 30s when I first did so. But dropped to 40s soon after. I left them out all day so they got used to the temperature dropping slowly. Chooks can handle a bit though. They all huddled together in the corner and now roosting together.

 

[ChickenLeg]

I find introducing them to the outdoors this time of year is pretty rough on young birds, I dont like going into the winter with birds under 3 months old since they dont have much substance on them. Id keeo them locked in the coop for a few days with no run access just to get them use to the temps before allowing them to have any run time. Might even wanna keep a heat lamp for them for a month or so during the nights til they have some substance. Just my thoughts I stopped doing young birds in winter because its an extra burden, but others who have good luck with winter chicks might chime in

 

[rosemarythyme]

Keep increasing the time they spend outdoors until they're out all day, and then just herd them into the coop at night. At this age they should be pretty close to fully feathered (incidentally they don't need to be fully feathered to move out, but I understand you're being cautious).

I raise my chicks outdoors so they're off heat at 4 weeks old when it's mid-40s, however with birds brooded indoors a little extra time is probably for the best since they need to acclimate.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What I am wondering is how to transition them to being out in their coop overnight? I’m in N. IL and we’ve been in the low 30s overnight. Their coop is dry and draft free

I also raise mine outside. My brooder is big enough that I can keep one end toasty warm even if the far end has ice in it. When it warms up the chicks just go to the far end to cool off. This way they are acclimated. A couple or times I've had chicks 5-1/2 weeks old go through nights in the mid 20's Fahrenheit with no supplemental heat. That coop is dry, well-ventilated, and has good wind protection. Some people on here say they have done that at a younger age but I like to be safe.

Most chicks are fully feathered at 4 to 5 weeks of age. Acclimating them to cooler temperatures like you have been doing seems to help with that process. In your situation I'd be comfortable in moving them out when they are 6 weeks old, even if the nights dip into the 20's. You need to be comfortable with what you are doing. I don't see that you are doing any harm to your chickens if you keep them in your house longer, but I'd think you are getting ready to have them outside.