Need help with winter baby Orpington chicks

[Shaynaf]

I just got 6 baby orphingtkn chickens. I believe I got them when they were about two weeks old. They are going on 3.5-4 weeks now and I’m not sure what to do with them with the winter weather. We live in a cold climate so right now in February it’s 30-40 degrees in the day time and about 20 degrees at night. They are very lively pecking around and even flying some of them. And I feel like they may be ready to get out of the brooder box. I have been doing me best to wean them off the heat although not even totally sure I’m doing that right. When should I introduce them to the outdoors?

 

[NatJ]

I just got 6 baby orphingtkn chickens. I believe I got them when they were about two weeks old. They are going on 3.5-4 weeks now and I’m not sure what to do with them with the winter weather. We live in a cold climate so right now in February it’s 30-40 degrees in the day time and about 20 degrees at night. They are very lively pecking around and even flying some of them. And I feel like they may be ready to get out of the brooder box. I have been doing me best to wean them off the heat although not even totally sure I’m doing that right.

When should I introduce them to the outdoors?

You can take them outside to play now, if you stay with them and bring them back in when they start acting cold (huddling and peeping.)

If you have a safe outdoor place where you can provide a heat source, they can move outside now. Being able to go play in a colder area, then run back to warm up, will let them adapt themselves to colder temperatures. They will go in the cold area (other end of the coop, or outdoors) much more often than you would have the time to take them outside. They just need access to a warm enough area, especially on the coldest nights. And like all other chickens, they need protection from predators, wind, rain/snow, excessive sun, and so forth.