8 week old chicks living in my dinning room, big enough to be moved to thier coop?

[ChickenLady2012]

I currently have (4) eight week old chicks that appear to be fully feathered and completly bored in thier brooder box inside my dinning room. We have recently been taking them out to thier coop/run in the day times weather permitting but they haven't spend a night in it yet. I took them off the heat lamp in the house weeks ago and they have adjusted just fine. The coop we have for them is un-insulated and not able to support a heat lamp. We live in the pacific northwest, so currently the weather is wet/damp and in the day times around 55 and can drop into the high 30's during the night and will continue to to drop going into winter. The chicks love being outside, our family is completly attached to them and I would hate to loose them cause I jumped the gun and put them out to early. I have experience with my three full grown chickens, but this is my first time raising chicks and need some advise before I make a mistake...Advise greatly welcomed, thank you!!!

 

[rgearhead]

im in the same boat here i have 2 living in my basement, , mine are about 10 weeks old and the same weather as you have...I also wonder how to introduce these 2 new birds to the 2 all ready living out in the coop and run ??

 

[Happy Chooks]

Throw them out there, they will be fine.

 

[Happy Chooks]

im in the same boat here i have 2 living in my basement, , mine are about 10 weeks old and the same weather as you have...I also wonder how to introduce these 2 new birds to the 2 all ready living out in the coop and run ??

By 10 weeks, you should be able to integrate them with the 2 adults. Stick them on the roost at night. There will be chasing/bullying while they work out their new pecking order. Leave them be unless there is blood.

 

[skips]

Now, I live down South, and we don't get much cold weather here, but I think I have an idea for you! Maybe you should let them play in the coop during the day, and bring them in at night when the temperature drops. And on introducing new birds, the way that I find works best is putting the new birds in the coop at night when the others are asleep! Hope this helps

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might get something useful from my two posts in this thread concerning integration.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...t-age-chickens-and-giving-them-the-right-feed

Last year I put chicks from the brooder in my coop into a non-heated grow-out coop when they were 5 weeks old. The overnight temperatures were regularly down in the mid 40's Fahrenheit. When they were 5-1/2 weeks old, that overnight low hit the mid 20's. They were fine.

I had a large brooder and only heated one area. The rest got down to ambient, so they were acclimated. Many people would be surprised how much time a very young chick will spend in pretty cold temperatures if they have a choice. As long as they have a heated area or a warm broody to go to to warm back up when they want to, they are fine.

My grow-out coop had good draft protection. I think that is important. They do need some acclimitizing but at 8 weeks and the temperatures you mention, I'd have them out of the house before it really got cold. Give them a chance to get used to the cold.

Integration may give you some problems, but I really don't think you have to worry about the weather.

 

[rgearhead]

thanks for the in put , looks like i will move them out there next week end after i get some tarps on there run to slow the wind and drafts that can hit the run.....






thanks again...

 

[ChickenLady2012]

I have a seperate inclosed chicken house/run for the babies and will just let the big girl see them thru the fence. This sounds weird but is it alright for the 8 week old chicks to get sprinkled on? Next time I will get spring chicks so I don't have to worry about this as much. So concenses say to put them out!!

 

[addietief]

I am wondering about when they can go outside also. I have two six week old chicks, a rhode island red and an ohio buckeye. Right now it is 55 and the sun is out. Can they go out for awhile? I also heard chickens need to slowly acclimate to colder temperatures and not to keep going from heat to cold. How should I procedure please?

 

[NCGrammie]

I wait until mine are 12 - 14 weeks old. And when I do put them out, I go out at night for the first week to put them to bed in the coop.