4 week old chicks

[SammyJo425]

So my chicks are 3 days shy of 4 weeks old. Feathering out, and it sounds like they are fighting sometimes. Lots of wing flapping and squeaking. I go over to the box and they all look at me like “what? You got something for me? We weren’t doing anything” lol

My house is 65-70 degrees during the day. Should I take their heat plate out? To give them more room? You think they still need it? For the past 2 nights they will line up along the edge of the box between the wall of the box and the heat plate, but not under it. I have 5 chicks in a box/brooder that’s 2ft by 4ft. I don’t think it’s warm enough to take them outside yet, I live in planting zone 7b. Maybe in another 2 weeks.

 

[azygous]

Chicks aren't garden seedlings. They have their own self contained heating system called metabolism. At this age at mild temps between 50 and higher, they are consuming enough calories during the day not to need augmented heat. At night, 65-70F is plenty warm enough where they only need one another for a bit of extra heat.

They can go play outside in temps as low as 55-60F until they appear to be huddling, but they could go several hours without heat for a romp outdoors. The extra space will thrill them and being outdoors is what they've been living for.

Periods outside will help transition them to cooler temps and you should be able to move them into a coop within a week. But take the heat plat out. They no longer need it while they're indoors.

 

[3KillerBs]

Photos?

Well-feathered 4-week-old chicks should indeed be weaning off heat and going outside.

I've had well-acclimated 4-week-olds handle 40F without blinking, but they'd been raised in an outdoor brooder.

I've also had slow-feathering chicks need their 60w bulb at night up to 6 weeks.

 

[SammyJo425]

Chicks aren't garden seedlings. They have their own self contained heating system called metabolism. At this age at mild temps between 50 and higher, they are consuming enough calories during the day not to need augmented heat. At night, 65-70F is plenty warm enough where they only need one another for a bit of extra heat.

They can go play outside in temps as low as 55-60F until they appear to be huddling, but they could go several hours without heat for a romp outdoors. The extra space will thrill them and being outdoors is what they've been living for.

Periods outside will help transition them to cooler temps and you should be able to move them into a coop within a week. But take the heat plat out. They no longer need it while they're indoors.

Thank you for the advice. I’m well aware they aren’t garden seedlings. My reasoning was to show what my weather in my area is like. We’re still having 50 degree days which is unusual for my area. Also one still has their baby fuzz. She’s the runt and is feathering much much slower than her sisters.

 

[SammyJo425]

Photos?

Well-feathered 4-week-old chicks should indeed be weaning off heat and going outside.

I've had well-acclimated 4-week-olds handle 40F without blinking, but they'd been raised in an outdoor brooder.

I've also had slow-feathering chicks need their 60w bulb at night up to 6 weeks.

I do have one slow feathering chick, she’s the runt. The rest of her sisters are feathering much more quickly. My best judgement I don’t think they should be taken out yet with 50-55 degree days. But that’s also why I’m asking for advice, it’s my first time raising chicks

 

[3KillerBs]

I do have one slow feathering chick, she’s the runt. The rest of her sisters are feathering much more quickly. My best judgement I don’t think they should be taken out yet with 50-55 degree days. But that’s also why I’m asking for advice, it’s my first time raising chicks

They can start going out for short periods to get used to it.

If you can put a heat source in their coop to take the worst of the chill off the nights they can go out there to finish their brooding and that will naturally acclimate them.

 

[maryn7]

I took mine out for an hour or two at a time at 4 weeks (early last week) when it felt like it was warm enough (one day in the 60s, one in the 50s but sunny, etc.)

I kicked them out to the coop on Friday with their heat plate because we had a string of nice days. They played in their part of the run all weekend, but now it's back in the high 40s-50s and overcast. But I didn't want them sitting in the coop all day (mostly because one of my adults is afraid of them and won't go into the coop to lay ), so I gave them a open huddle box that accommodates their heat plate in their part of the run (pointed away from the wind direction) and just move the heat plate into it and run an extension cord on days when it seems too cold to me.

They're loving it. Take naps under it, but mostly running around, doing their birdy business. And it seems to have encouraged them to feather more aggressively.

Probably coddling them a little bit, but it got them out of my house and into the run faster (but with the peace of mind for me from the heat plate that I'm not running out to check on them every ten minutes).

But use your best judgment. You're the one that knows them best, and you'll know what to look for in terms of their discomfort.

* - I'll say that I have windbreak panels set up around most of my run already and that has probably facilitated their transition since they're protected from most directions.