Acclimating them outdoors

[MommA2K]

My babies are just about 6 weeks and fully feathered. They are currently housed in our house where the night temps get down to mid 60’s and haven’t had any additional heat source (heat pad) for the last week.

Do I start bringing them outside this week for periods of time and hopefully by the end of the week they can stay in their coop? The overnight lows the next couple days are worrisome to me, but the mid 40’s that are forecasted should be okay later this week? There’s only 4 birds in the coop (4’x8’), but I know they will huddle together to stay warm. It’s hard to imagine them going outside

 

[rosemarythyme]

They should be fine at this point to just go straight out to the coop and stay there, but if it makes you feel better to take them in for the first few nights, that's up to you.

 

[raenapaige]

We’re in Minnesota with eight chickies 4-6 weeks and still on our mud porch with heat. They spend hours during the days outside in their chicken tractor when it’s sunny but haven’t gone in their coop/run yet. They’re still little but love the time outside to flap around and explore!

 

[Mamatomany123]

We’re in Minnesota with eight chickies 4-6 weeks and still on our mud porch with heat. They spend hours during the days outside in their chicken tractor when it’s sunny but haven’t gone in their coop/run yet. They’re still little but love the time outside to flap around and explore!

Yours are plenty old enough to be off of heat.

 

[MommA2K]

They should be fine at this point to just go straight out to the coop and stay there, but if it makes you feel better to take them in for the first few nights, that's up to you.

...or I could just bunk with them

 

[rosemarythyme]

...or I could just bunk with them

Ha!

I stopped coddling chicks after my first batch, but I get that it's nerve wracking when you're sending your first group of babies to go live outdoors. Chicks are amazingly durable and yet fragile at the same time.