I've wondered if other people have noticed a difference in when their chicks feather out. In my experience, chicks that are raised inside seem to feather out later on than the ones that were put in outdoor brooders with heat lamps. Is it just me? My last batch, I had some in a coop outside with a lamp and they feathered out VERY quickly compared to the ones that I kept inside (the ones that were set aside as pets). They were all the same age but the ones outside looked up to two weeks older than the indoor chicks after a month.
I got my last batch on a Halloween where it was cool at night already and not very warm during the day but the chicks outside would do their best to get away from the lamp during the day even though the coop was the same temp as the brooder indoor. So does putting them outside early (while you may lose a chick) result in more hardy ones?
Just asking. My next batch is coming on April Fool's day and I plan to brood them in the same coop that I always use for my outdoor brooder.
I got my last batch on a Halloween where it was cool at night already and not very warm during the day but the chicks outside would do their best to get away from the lamp during the day even though the coop was the same temp as the brooder indoor. So does putting them outside early (while you may lose a chick) result in more hardy ones?
Just asking. My next batch is coming on April Fool's day and I plan to brood them in the same coop that I always use for my outdoor brooder.