6 weeks old - good to move out?

megb3rt

In the Brooder
Nov 3, 2021
6
12
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I have 5 barred rock chicks who are just over 6 weeks. They’ve been in the brooder in our garage without supplemental heat. We do however have a space heater in the garage to keep it over 65°F since temps are fairly cold at this point. We’re finishing up the coop now but are hoping we can move them in under a week. They all seem fully feathered but temps are averaging 20-30°F at night with a few warmer nights. Going into December in the Midwest, we’re having warmer days the next week but temps could drastically change overnight here. Should I turn off the space heater to officially acclimate them prior to moving them? I know they’re hardy chickens and they don’t seem to miss their brooder heater but I’m just hesitant to drop the heat entirely if it’s too soon lol.
 

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I’ve always been told that at newly hatched 0 day old chicks the temp needs to be 95 degrees and dropped by 5 degrees for every week they've been alive.

That would mean for temperatures of 20 degrees they'd need to be 15 weeks old.

Have you checked how low the temps get in the coop they'll be going to? Is the coop insulated?
 
I have 5 barred rock chicks who are just over 6 weeks. They’ve been in the brooder in our garage without supplemental heat. We do however have a space heater in the garage to keep it over 65°F since temps are fairly cold at this point. We’re finishing up the coop now but are hoping we can move them in under a week. They all seem fully feathered but temps are averaging 20-30°F at night with a few warmer nights. Going into December in the Midwest, we’re having warmer days the next week but temps could drastically change overnight here. Should I turn off the space heater to officially acclimate them prior to moving them? I know they’re hardy chickens and they don’t seem to miss their brooder heater but I’m just hesitant to drop the heat entirely if it’s too soon lol.
We take out little birds outside on good days, depending on their age and outside temp. To get them used to it. Near our other birds. So they can all see each other. Then we move new birds in to coop at night.
 
I have a Cozy Coop panel warmer, my little ones perch on it or cuddle next to it during the day when they r roaming in the barn, it's around -6C here past few days and the chicks run at large with their mum in the barn and outside, they have been learning what snow is !!!

Currently they are four 6 week old chicks who have been growing up with a mum, they barely fit under her now, but they all cuddle together at night with mums wings spread over them haha so cute. I don't have any heat in the hen house but it is insulated.

i think the key is to keep them out of drafts, and dry.
 
Here’s the forecast for the next week or so. I have been going based off the “decrease the temp by 5° every week” so far. I wouldn’t be super worried about moving them out right away if they weren’t getting so bored in their brooder. It’s large enough for them but they just have started to annoy each other 😂. I have the next week off so I figured we would spend more and more time outside to help them as well. The brooder heater I have can convert into a regular heater but I’ve seen so much information about not heating the coop. We will have insulated panels on the floor but the walls are not insulated. Just plywood and metal sheeting. We plan on using the heated drinker as well and we will be doing the deep litter method.
 

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Here’s the forecast for the next week or so. I have been going based off the “decrease the temp by 5° every week” so far. I wouldn’t be super worried about moving them out right away if they weren’t getting so bored in their brooder. It’s large enough for them but they just have started to annoy each other 😂. I have the next week off so I figured we would spend more and more time outside to help them as well. The brooder heater I have can convert into a regular heater but I’ve seen so much information about not heating the coop. We will have insulated panels on the floor but the walls are not insulated. Just plywood and metal sheeting. We plan on using the heated drinker as well and we will be doing the deep litter method.
Wow that’s cold! I love cold weather.
How someone else suggested, do turn off your space heater to get them acclimated.
As long as there are no drafts and they all huddle up and keep warm I’m sure they'll be fine.
 
Should I turn off the space heater to officially acclimate them prior to moving them?

I would turn off the space heater in the garage, but check on the chicks fairly frequently for the first day or two after that-- they will let you know if they are too cold by huddling together and peeping loudly. They like to sleep close together anyway, so don't worry about that at night, so long as they seem to be actually sleeping quietly. Also put a thermometer in or near their space, so you know what temperature they actually have.

For moving them outside, those daytime temperatures look fine to me.
For the nighttime temperatures, try putting a thermometer inside the coop and check it in the early morning to see what temperature the coop really is. That is the temperature they will really be exposed to, not the outdoor temperature.

I think the chicks will be fine when you move them out, but checking the actual temperatures can help you have real numbers to compare, so you know how much change they will actually have.
 

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