5week old chicks inside

[daddy_roo]

My MIL has 4, 5 week old chicks in her basement now. She had them in the kitchen for a week in a rediculously large pot. setting on the stove. and yes oven stayed on low for the week. I finally built her a small cage for them. It is about 18 inch cube with 4 inch legs keeping it off the floor. Now they are about 8-10 inches tall, and running around in their cage. They have a heat lamp. I have downgraded the heat bulb, to a 100 watt bulb to decrease the heat on them. They are now in the basement over a concrete floor. I have a small piece of carpet under the cage. Now my next question is what do I do next. With winter comming on and my chickens having to be kept up and not allowed to free range because I do live in the city limits. The other 12 chickens(5 black star, 3banty jersey giant X black star cross, 2 Jersey Giant, 1 black star X Red star cross, and 1 banty Jersey Giant.) and the Black star ROO, are all in the green house. I started a thread awhile back about turning a green house into a chicken coop. My internet went out and I have had trouble getting it back on so I have not updated it. They are on layer pellets, and keep a lot of clean water handy. Plenty of roosts and nesting areas. NO run area for them. Do I take them to the green house in a few weeks or not?

 

[Mahonri]

I don't add younger chicks to the flock until they are at the very least 12 weeks old... unless they are being raised by a broody mama who will defend them.

 

[daddy_roo]

I apologize for the destraction, I have too many irons in the fire. I did not complete that last post. I am thinking about taking them to the green house in the cage to allow them to get used to the other chickens and visa versa. Keeping them in there for about 3-4 weeks like that before allowing them to run with the others. Is this correct or am I thinking wrong? Winter is coming on soon. up till now we have had a very warm winter so far. But it will get bad and will hit all at once. this is my concern if it is warm enough for the other chickens is it warm enough for the chicks?

 

[HiddenHens987]

I have heard of other people doing what you said as well and it seems to be the correct method! I would leave them in their cage for the time being and let the other girls see them for 10 days or so before giving them a little bit of time out in the open.