Keep together or Separate

[Hugz21]

I have 5 chicks 1x8week old, 4x6week olds. 4 of the 5 have feathered up well and I want to put them out into their coop ASAP - the mess they are creating in my garage is getting a bit extreme. They're weaned off the heat lamp during the day and I only keep the heat on over night. However, I'm concerned for my little Wyandotte baby, Lilac. It's not feathered up very well and looks like it's at least 2 weeks behind the rest of the 6-weekers. Do I put the 4 out and leave Lilac alone inside? Do I leave them all inside and wait until Lilac is feathered or do I just transition them all to the outside coop? Or have them outside during the day and back in the garage over night? I'm in Australia and it's heading into winter here with night temperatures getting to down to 5°C (41°F). Mixed flock of 4 breeds are all listed as "Cold hardy/tolerant"

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd wait until Lilac is ready to go out, then transition them all at the same time. It would be very distressing her to to suddenly find herself alone.

 

[Celticdragonfly]

Glad to hear the question, as my 4 are quite wildly spread out, there's going to be a difference in readiness unless Tiny Terri catches up quite significantly. I am probably going to use the coop's run for some outside play time as soon as it's built.