Here's where I'm at...looking for some advice:
This week is week 8 and we just got hit with the snow storm and freezing temps. So, my questions are:
If I could get to that "week 12, no heat" point, it would be great, but I'm wondering if I'm just going to end up with the night light until spring. If I've learned anything its that chickens aren't people and they can take the cold like we can't. So, I dont want to coddle, but I want to make sure it's safe.
Thoughts? (raising chicks in the winter makes you realize how easy it is to do in the spring!)
- Weeks 0-5 - Inside in a brooder
- Week 5-6 - they were put in a small brooder/run in our coop. Heat lamp on all times, however with this mild winter so far, temps never really got below about 45.
- Week 7 - I changed the heat lamp to be on only at night so they slowly get used to the cold. The coop rarely went below 40, although some days it went as low as about 33.
This week is week 8 and we just got hit with the snow storm and freezing temps. So, my questions are:
- If the coop temps get below freezing (even down into the 20s) are they old enough to handle it during the day? They look feathered to me, but I question because of their age.
- Do I even attempt to phase them out of the night heat lamp at this point? My goal was to have them on no heat by about week 12.
If I could get to that "week 12, no heat" point, it would be great, but I'm wondering if I'm just going to end up with the night light until spring. If I've learned anything its that chickens aren't people and they can take the cold like we can't. So, I dont want to coddle, but I want to make sure it's safe.
Thoughts? (raising chicks in the winter makes you realize how easy it is to do in the spring!)
