Age to go outside?

[ducks_rcool329]

Hello, so I have 11 hens that are close to 9 weeks old this weekend and have been haplily living in my garage under a heat lamp, well they are getting a little to big for their broder and I think they would like to move outside with the others. With my other chickens I put them out at 8 weeks, but that was when it got up to 100*F during the day, now it gets down in the 30s at night, and idk if I can move them out yet. The coop is a somewhat open air coop, it has wood on 3 sides, then one side is jsut wire fencing, with a run that has a roof over it. it dosent get to much warmer in the coop, even with a heat lamp. One thing I heard was to use bales of straw to make like a wall, since it is a great insuulator. Thanks

 

[SteveBaz]

Put them out. No more heat.

They have been given a nice set of feathers to keep the weather from getting cold. Let them out and be chickens.

 

[teach1rusl]

I would stack bales of straw or hay, as you mentioned, to have a more closed in section of the coop (like a kid building a fortress)...two high should be plenty. At 9 weeks I'm certain they must be feathered out. However, if they're used to a lamp at night, I'd still hang one out there in the most sheltered area of the coop...not to make the coop warmer, but to give them a place to go to warm up at night if needed. Within a week or two, I'd removed the lamp. If they're used to 70 degrees or so under a lamp at night and are tossed out into 30 degree nights, I think that would be a cruel shock. They'd live, but I doubt it'd be pleasant.