Moving chicks outside and incorporating with other chickens

[Thomaswgordon]

I've had chicks younger than that go through nights with a low in the mid 20's Fahrenheit. Your chicks should do fine as long as they are sheltered from wind.

I would not anticipate any problems with hot weather until it warms up some more. But it is always good to give them options. Shade is good!

My chicks straight out of the incubator are very good at managing being in the right temperatures as long as they have suitable options.

Awesome, thank you!! We’ll probably move them in this Thursday or so. I just cleaned coop out and put fresh bedding and permethrin to assist with possible mites and definite ants.

 

[thistlewick]

Do you have pictures?

Yes! It will be exactly this, but a few feet shorter

 

[rosemarythyme]

We have 4 chicks almost 6 weeks old. They’re all feathered out, 2 OE and SLW and GLW(roo). Our temps are currently in the 70’s at a high and 50’s at a low. I built a wall to seperate the coop so they can begin to see and get used to our existing chickens, and learn the coop as their home. Thinking of keeping them separated for about 1 week.

Are these temps ok to be outside permanently with no extra heat source?

Temperatures are fine. Timeline may or may not work, you'll need to play it by ear based on how the older birds react. How many older birds and how old?

View attachment 3830405
This is the coop when we had our first chicks before putting them in. I plan to block off a little less than half of it for the new chicks. They’ll be in there for 1-2 weeks and then will open it up to the covered run with some sun and some shade

This is the current coop your flock is housed in, or this is temporary while the chicks get used to being outside? If the former, how large is the actual coop floor space minus the nest boxes? If the latter, do the older birds come inside so they could meet the younger ones?

 

[rosemarythyme]

My pastures are full sun, but the coop that my chicks will move to has an underneath section -- is this enough shade?

Sorry for the swooping in

Really depends on the temperatures and if the underside of the coop provides sufficient deep shade if you do have high temperatures.

Best to post your questions separately in the future, it's not relevant to OP's original question.

 

[Thomaswgordon]

Temperatures are fine. Timeline may or may not work, you'll need to play it by ear based on how the older birds react. How many older birds and how old?


This is the current coop your flock is housed in, or this is temporary while the chicks get used to being outside? If the former, how large is the actual coop floor space minus the nest boxes? If the latter, do the older birds come inside so they could meet the younger ones?

currently have 4 2 year old hens. They are currently in that coop I posted a picture of with a 10x10 attached covered run. I built a frame and covered with hardware cloth to section off a portion of the coop to keep chicks in there so the older chickens can be introduced without physical contact. It’s just shy of a 5x4 coop with floor access throughout-floor above the nesting boxes.

 

[rosemarythyme]

currently have 4 2 year old hens. They are currently in that coop I posted a picture of with a 10x10 attached covered run. I built a frame and covered with hardware cloth to section off a portion of the coop to keep chicks in there so the older chickens can be introduced without physical contact. It’s just shy of a 5x4 coop with floor access throughout-floor above the nesting boxes.

You may struggle with integration in the coop as you really don't have space in the coop for 8. I'd strongly consider sectioning part of the run as well for the chicks to use during the day, so the hens get maximum exposure to them.

 

[Thomaswgordon]

You may struggle with integration in the coop as you really don't have space in the coop for 8. I'd strongly consider sectioning part of the run as well for the chicks to use during the day, so the hens get maximum exposure to them.

Wouldn’t that affect coop training the chicks?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Wouldn’t that affect coop training the chicks?

Having them in the run? No. I brood in the run until around 4 weeks of age, then I move them into a cage inside the coop. My latest batch of chicks figured out the coop was home by the second night, returning to it on their own.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My latest batch of chicks figured out the coop was home by the second night, returning to it on their own.

I had that happen once. No adults were involved, just chicks. I had them locked in the coop section only for about a week. When I let them in the run they tried to sleep under the pop door so after dark I put them in coop to sleep. The next night they again tried to put themselves to bed under the pop door outside but I went down there about that time to do some other work in the area and wait until dark to put them inside. One chick looked at me and went into the coop. Another followed. Before long all 17 had gone into the coop on their own. They put themselves to bed in the coop on their own from then on, whether I was around or not. I was down there at dark for the groups after that but it never worked again.

It usually took me a week to get all of them to sleep inside but my mileage varied a lot. For a couple of broods it took three weeks of putting them in every night until the last few go the message. Each group is different.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It usually took me a week to get all of them to sleep inside but my mileage varied a lot. For a couple of broods it took three weeks of putting them in every night until the last few go the message. Each group is different.

For sure. Helps that I lock them out of the brooder. My first batch of integrated chicks took about a week and a half to coop & roost themselves (and that means up on the roost, as otherwise I was carrying them in and putting them in a cage inside), second batch figured it out on the 3rd night. Current chicks returned to the coop starting 2nd night but didn't roost until 4 nights later.