Acclimating to Outdoors

[TinyHandsHomestead105]

Any tips to getting 5 week old chicks acclimated to outdoors? Back in the day I would get them much later in the spring so it was fine to just put them out. Temps are currently high 50s- low 60s during the day and low 50s-Mid 40s at night. Would you just put them out during the day and bring them back in for another week and then leave them when they hit 6 weeks?

 

[nuthatched]

Just kick them out, they'll be fine

 

[TinyHandsHomestead105]

Just kick them out, they'll be fine

Haha, laughing only because that's what hubby said too. I didn't figure they'd have any issues. Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

A week of acclimation as you described is the safe route. Keep an eye on them the first day or two to make sure that they're not stressed by the temperature change. They should be okay as they can handle those temps fine if they were raised outdoors, but no need to rush them either.

 

[TinyHandsHomestead105]

A week of acclimation as you described is the safe route. Keep an eye on them the first day or two to make sure that they're not stressed by the temperature change. They should be okay as they can handle those temps fine if they were raised outdoors, but no need to rush them either.

They've been raised indoors. I've got 40 chicks in the housethe oldest set are going to hit 6 weeks mid next week (9 of them)....they are almost fully feathered. I was going off that more than anything. I've got a lady picking up 4 out of the 9 sometime next week and she asked if they'd be ready to go out and I told her I'd keep them until I was confident they'd be fine as she doesn't have a set up for young chicks.

 

[Aardyn]

With that many I'm sure they will most likely keep each other warm.

 

[TinyHandsHomestead105]

With that many I'm sure they will most likely keep each other warm.

Oh yeah definitely. The weather is supposed to get colder again in
about 2 weeks so I was hoping to get them acclimated now and hopefully by then it won't bother them.

 

[Aardyn]

Oh yeah definitely. The weather is supposed to get colder again I'm about 2 weeks so I was hoping to get them acclimated now and hopefully by then it won't bother them.

I've only got 4 and they will willingly sleep outside in 40F weather lol. The only time I've seen them sleep inside was when it dropped to 20F and below.