8 weeks old and night temps

[ImAussie]

My chicks are 8 weeks old. They’ve been outside everyday but been bringing them back inside at night (window open but heat plate on particularly cold nights).

temps have been as low as 32F (0°c) but mainly getting down around 42F (6°c). At what stage can I leave them o those at night to save me having to carry t he l in and out every morning and night?

Please help me out!

 

[saysfaa]

They are big enough and old enough and acclimated enough to leave them outside in a coop at night now. They can easily handle it.

 

[cavemanrich]

I know you are down under, and getting winter now,,, We are just starting warm weather here. Let me give you my opinion on the chicks. They are 8 weeks, so they are feathered out. The temps you are stating, are not very cold. I think you can start leaving them in coop. Remember, to make sure they are in a "DRAFT- FREE" spot in coop. Is your ventilation proper to maintain humidity, and ammonia levels to be removed ??

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[ImAussie]

Thank you.
Our coop is an open coop (it was existing when we bought the property). It’s I guess I’d call it 3.5 closed in sides with a roof, and the front open. The overall run is fully enclosed and roofed with heavy duty fencing wire. So it’s great for ventilation, not great for drafts.
The chicks are in a small enclosure within the coop, which I could cover the 1 wire area of the top level to eliminate drafts for them. They’ve already learned to “put themselves to bed” in the evening in the enclosed space of their enclosure, so they get the idea.
I guess it’s only going to get colder, so better to get them used to it now I suppose?

 

[ImAussie]

Update:
Left them outside in the coop last night, just used a piece of cardboard to cover the mesh side to block drafts and they were perfectly fine this morning.
it only got down to 7.3° this morning (probably around 45F ?) so quite mild considering.

Thank you for the reassurance

 

[Chicalina]

can you post pics of the coop?

 

[ImAussie]

It’s 8m wide x 11m long x 2m high. excuse the goat. He’s got an injured leg and needs to be confined and this was the best place we could put him for now!

This is the coop (and temporary barn stall/goat hospital).

an old pic, but this is my small enclosure, once they outgrow this (which won’t be long) I put netting up to section off about 1/3 of the entire run for them. I also did this when I was integrating new chickens to the flock. It’s definitely not fancy, but I got it for one of our hens who went broody to hatch and raise chicks without leaving the coop one time, and when not being used by chicks, our hens start using it as their nesting place of choice to lay eggs.

 

[ImAussie]

this is taken from inside the house through a fly screen, so looks fuzzy but better shows it.

Oh, and it’s got it’s own water tank
And my dad made them chicken sized picnic tables lol

 

[ImAussie]

 

[Chicalina]

I can see it is fairly easy with cardboard or tarp to shelter the little coop for night time sleeping. Where do the adult chickens sleep? You need their roosts to be in the most sheltered spot, 3 sides at least.