5-6 week old chicks, can they survive 30 degrees outside?

[Sedelfelt]

Hi!
I am a new chicken owner and have had my 4 chicks inside for the past 5 weeks and moved them outside 2 nights ago. They’ve been in the coop because the weather has been great. However, now it is supposed to drop to the low 30s.
Are they ok in the coop outside? Or do they need to come inside? The weather will be in tbe 40s and 40s for over a weeks. They are between 4-5 weeks old.
Thanks!

 

[azygous]

They will be fine after you gradually reduce the temp where you have them now until it matches the lowest temp they will experience outside.

A little heat may be necessary at night for a couple weeks, and they might enjoy a little heat to do a quick warmup during the day if it goes much below freezing.

It would help us to know your location so we can better understand your climate. No one is going to come to your house. Just city, state and country.

 

[Sedelfelt]

They will be fine after you gradually reduce the temp where you have them now until it matches the lowest temp they will experience outside.

A little heat may be necessary at night for a couple weeks, and they might enjoy a little heat to do a quick warmup during the day if it goes much below freezing.

It would help us to know your location so we can better understand your climate. No one is going to come to your house. Just city, state and country.

Haha I’m in Austin, TX. They’ve adjusted great from inside to outside the last 2 days with temperatures ranging from mid 50s to mid 80s. But we are expecting a cold front this next week or so that will drop temps to the 30s.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had chicks 5-1/2 weeks old sped the night without supplemental heat when it was in the mid 20's Fahrenheit. The coop they were in had great ventilation up high and great breeze protection down where they were. So some of that depends on what your coop looks like.

had my 4 chicks inside for the past 5 weeks .............. They are between 4-5 weeks old.

This sounds contradictory but it's not. Their first week they are 0 weeks old. I'd feel more comfortable if you could provide some heat on the coldest nights for the next week but expose them to the cold as much as you can. In another week they should be good to go, provided your coop is decent.

 

[azygous]

When you have sudden wide temperature spreads, it may not be possible to acclimatize in time for the chicks to be able to cope with the change. This is where you use heat to approximate a more uniform temp.

The best way to tell if the chicks are handling the cold all right is their behavior. If they are spread out, active, and not huddling together, they need not extra heat. If they huddle, they could use a heat source. Play it by ear.

 

[3KillerBs]

I had fully-feathered 4-week-olds cope well with temperatures in the 40's -- but they'd been raised in an outdoor brooder so they were fully acclimatized.

I agree with the above -- in this situation, a supplement might be necessary. But the common 250 red bulb is probably overkill.

Do they have a huddle box?

 

[Sedelfelt]

I had fully-feathered 4-week-olds cope well with temperatures in the 40's -- but they'd been raised in an outdoor brooder so they were fully acclimatized.

I agree with the above -- in this situation, a supplement might be necessary. But the common 250 red bulb is probably overkill.

Do they have a huddle box?

I decided to bring them in, back to the brooder without a lamp. It’s 32 F right now and it’s noon. I didn’t want to risk them getting sick!
I will put them back out in the coop in about a week when temps go back to the 40s-50s. Since I live in Texas, I don’t think we will be having many more cold spells!!

 

[KyCoop]

Are they roosting yet? If they are still sleeping in a puppy pile, give them a box to cuddle in. Put it on its side. One just big enough for all of them to fit in.