what age can chicks be put outside?

[aglosser1117]

My chicks are 7 weeks old. The night time lows have been in the 50's. When is it safe to move them outside?

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Could you post pictures so we can see how feathered they are and what size?

 

[aglosser1117]

 

[aglosser1117]

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

I assume you have a coop. They should be fine outside.

 

[louie51]

Good Morning

I'm new here.
Set up an account 2 days ago.

What does the temp need to new for week old chicks to be outside?
we have 3 week olds, 6 week, 10 week, 14 week olds.

 

[azygous]

Chicks can "go outdoors" at any time. I and many others here at BYC brood our chicks outdoors in our coops and runs, and the chicks do just splendidly.

Chicks raised outdoors, with a dependable heat source until they are feathered out, do not need to acclimate to cooler temps as they have been hardened to cold from the very beginning. However, chicks brooded indoors in a heated room in addition to their heat source will need to be gradually exposed to cooler temps before moving outdoors.

This can involve either opening a window and shutting off the heat source and/or letting the chicks go outside every day on "field trips" until they get used to outdoor temps. You will be able to tell if they're acclimatized by their behavior while outside or in their cooler room. They will be active and not huddling together.

 

[Stegs]

i was told 6 weeks is the earliest for chicks....that way they are fully feathered

I have 6 week old isa browns right now, tomorrow night is the last night with the 125w heat lamp. They are in my insulated dog run in my garage...at night with the light it stays about 60-65 degrees.

Tomorrow night is the last night with the lamp on...then they are on there own.

Temps here in michigan at night are still about 36-40 degrees. But they are fully feathered now, and have been spending hours outside freen roaming for about 2 weeks now (i just put them inside at night)


I figure 6-7 weeks its time to kill the lamp, they are old enough now

( i just had the lamp on mainly to keep the water from freezing.)

 

[mtn2mama]

I have a similar question. My 13 chicks, now 8 and 9 weeks old, Amber links and easter eggers living in the basement around 60-65 degrees. They have not been outside yet. I have two 2-yr old hens, that free range during the day. They have not seen each other. We live in the mountains of Virginia and temps at night could be in the 40's or 50's. We don't have two separate coops. There is an area below the existing 8'x8' coop that is enclosed on three sides and could be fenced off from the other girls to allow them to see each other. In a previous season, we added 6 chicks, later in the year, it was warmer temps and we were able to fence off an area inside the run, and they had their own small house of sorts to go into at night. We got these about six weeks earlier. What temps are safe for chicks? Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Once they are fully feathered they should be ready to go outside. The heat lamp probably isn't needed, if they get cold they will huddle. If you really feel that they need the heat lamp, then hang the lamp in the coop not as a heat lamp but as a heat source for the coop. The heat from the lamp will maintain an even warmth in the whole coop, no need to maintain a brooder setup once they are feathered and outside.



My current flock have been outside for almost a week now. The chicks were hatched the first week of April and are fully feathered. They love being outside and I love that they love being outside.



They greet me every morning when I open the coop for the day. Night time temps here in Colorado have been in the low 40"s to upper 30's. Their body heat keeps them warm inside the coop, and if they get cold they snuggle. If you don't keep Feed Hoppers & Waterers in the coop with the chicks, make sure that they get a nice drink of water before they are locked up for the night.

I put them away each night at around sunset. They will complain and make noise, they are not ready for bed and will want to stay up longer...some people's kids.

At this stage they are still learning about the world around, everything is going to be new to them for the next year.

Your biggest concern once they are first outside is wet weather, wet cold chicks are dead chicks. I was late getting my little ones outside this year due to the rains we've been having lately. (Even more rain forecast for this weekend) If it rains, your little ones may or may not know to seek shelter. So if weather rolls in, you will want to be around to ensure that the chicks stay dry and out of the weather.