Ok to move outside?

[ambrosia79]

I know this is asked a lot, but since there are so many variables, I thought I would ask about my specific situation. I live in western PA and the average low is around 30 right now. I have ten 10-week old pullets and 6 that are 5 weeks old. They are all together in a brooder in my 50-55 degree basement and haven't had a heat lamp in about a week. They are too crowded and I want to put them in the coop (totally separate from my current flock). I put lots of hay in the coop and it's pretty close to draft-free. I am very comfortable with the older ones going out, but will the 5 week olds be ok? Should I put a light in the coop for a little extra warmth?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

They will need a bit of heat for another week.

Do make sure you can do it while observing fire safety. If not, then I would keep them in the basement for another week. They will be fully feathered even on the heads usually around 6 weeks, which is when they stop requiring heat (unless brooding in winter - I give them a bit longer). 90-95 first week of life and decrease by 5 degrees per week until fully feathered usually at 6 weeks is general rule of thumb.

 

[ambrosia79]

Think if I separate them and leave the younger ones in the basement for at least another week that I'll have problems re-introducing them to the others?

 

[PapaChaz]

I don't think you'd have any problems putting them back together if you separate them for a week. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, at 5 weeks, they've got most of their feathers. If they're doing ok at 50 - 55 degrees in the basement, they know to snuggle up in the hay if they get cold.

if you do want to move them but give them the heat light, just attach it at least 3 ways to prevent a fire hazard.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I don't think you'd have any problems putting them back together if you separate them for a week. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, at 5 weeks, they've got most of their feathers. If they're doing ok at 50 - 55 degrees in the basement, they know to snuggle up in the hay if they get cold.

if you do want to move them but give them the heat light, just attach it at least 3 ways to prevent a fire hazard.

x2 One week won't make a difference since they already know each other.

 

[Rowsdower]

Think if I separate them and leave the younger ones in the basement for at least another week that I'll have problems re-introducing them to the others?

Nope. Do yourself a favor and get those little poop machines outside.

 

[Blooie]

Here it was in the upper 20s at night and trying hard to hit 40 during the day when my one week old chicks went outside. They were joined a week later by 4 one day old chicks, put outside the day we got them. The one weekers were supposed to be outside from one day old too, but hubby ended up in the ER and then admitted to the hospital the day we brought them home so the outside pen wasn't ready for them yet. That's the only reason they were in the house at all - otherwise the first batch of chicks would have been out there from the start like the other 4 we added. I have an open pen in the run for them. They are now 4 weeks old and 3 weeks old, and they are thriving! Their heat source was a heating pad cave, and now they aren't even using it most of the time. Some of the older ones sleep all night on the roost in their pen, the littler ones still pop under the cave at night only, and still others either snuggle into the straw around the pad or sleep on top of it. We've had some unusually warm days, but the nights here are typical Wyoming.....cold, cold, cold.


Living outside - the bigger chicks are a week old and the little ones are 1 day old.


Same chicks outside at 2 and 3 weeks. If you look closely you can see that several chicks are outside of their pen exploring the run. The roost is where several of them sleep every night.

I think all of your chicks would be just fine outside. Last year's chicks went out to the coop to live at 5 1/2 weeks old. That was on April 1. I had a heat lamp out there for them but they didn't use it at all, not even the first night when the temperature inside the coop was only 20. I'd check on them and they were all snuggled down next to the pop door, nowhere near the lamp. It was the same story the second night so the next day the heat lamp came out. They were telling me quite clearly that they didn't need it, and I wasn't risking coop fire for something they didn't even want. That night it snowed, and we didn't stop getting snow until June 6th. Those chicks are now a year old, laying well, and got through our Wyoming winter just beautifully with no heat and no insulation in the coop.

These little critters are way tougher than we give them credit for. If they were being raised by a broody hen, they'd be all over the place by 5 weeks, and they all wouldn't fit under her at night any more. Taking the heat off them in the garage was a great idea - they can't acclimate if they are never exposed to ambient air temperatures. Good luck!

 

[Scottw]

My chicks are 4 weeks old this week, they have tons of feathers. My question is, it has been in the mid to high 50's at night and mod 60's to 70's during the day so is it safe for me to put them outside in the coop?

 

[Fern Valley 4H]

I would get them used to the temperatures outside first by letting them out during the day, and bringing them inside at night for maybe two weeks. As they still have down baby feathers they are still susceptible to chilly temps.

 

[PapaChaz]

Nope. Do yourself a favor and get those little poop machines outside.

and accurate!