5 Week Chicks- Garage or Inside?

[emscheid]

I moved our chicks to the garage when the weather started warming up, but now it's back to being super cold!

Are 5 week old chicks (almost fully feathered) okay in the garage with it being 20-30 degrees outside, as long as they have a heat lamp?

Or should we bring them in the house?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I keep day old chicks straight from the incubator in my brooder in the coop with a heat lamp when the outside temperatures are that cold. It is irrelevant how cold it is outside, how cold is it where the chicks are? How much wind is hitting them? Are you opening and closing the garage door and letting the wind in? If you are opening and closing the garage door a lot it may be a bit of a challenge.

At five weeks they are getting pretty close to being able to stay outside in those temperatures with no heat, but if you can provide one area they can go to so they can warm up if they need to, I’d do it. They also need an area to go to so they can cool off if they get too hot.

I understand your concern but all they need is a warm spot out of the wind and they will be fine.

 

[mortie]

My 5 week olds were in the garage with no heat lamp and it was dropping into the 20's and 30's at night. If they are fully feathered, they will be fine. If it makes you feel better, you could put a low wattage lamp in there for them but they likely won't need that.

 

[donrae]

I'm with Ridgerunner. My day old chicks go into the barn in a tub with a heat lamp. They're just fine. 50 chicks so far this year, only lost one and it didn't look right from hatch.

My month old birds are outside for the first time today. I may bring them back in, depending on how cold it's supposed to get. But they're pretty much feathered, so they may stay out. I need the space

 

[mortie]

It's going to get down to about 25 tonight and my 8ish week olds are outside in the coop. They'll make their little chicken pile and be cozy and warm.