Anyone keeping new chicks outside ?

[cafarmgirl]

Chicks will be ok outside provided you have a good, draft free place to keep them and provided you can keep the temperature under the heat lamp where they need it to be for their age.

 

[Aquaman05]

I'd be careful with straw. It catches on fire from headlamps. I put chicks in a stock tank. I put a heat lamp in about 12 inches high. I then cover the tank with a piece of tin. I have several hundred brooding this way in several tanks. We do well with this set up in Colorado random weather.

Yeah I need something else besides the straw but kinda tossed it together real fast.
I don't remember the magazine but they sold some tall cardboard to use as a brooder. I might try something like that.

 

[rodeo chicken]

What age do you think they can go outside? We have ten 2 week old bcm and I'm in Indiana where it gets in the low 20s high 30s this time of year. I was thinking of putting them in a large feed trough 55 gal when they're 4 weeks in the barn and leaving them for another 2-3 weeks before introducing them to the flock. Good or bad idea? (they're in the basement now)

 

[gardendufus]

Also in CO here. Last year I sectioned off a small section of my coop (open air on the top half of the south side, so lotsa cold air getting in there and brooded my chicks in in with a heat lamp beginning March 1. We have been having some mild winters, but nights and some days were still in the teens at that point. They did fine with just the heat lamp. Didn't even stay under it very much. Moved around a lot and seemed fine as long as they were able to warm up periodically.

 

[rodeo chicken]

Sounds like they'll do fine in my workshop area of the barn. I just finished double checking it for areas small enough for raccoons , cats etc to get in. They be outside probably first of march as well. I do like the idea of putting a " safe house" in the coop for them to retreat to if getting picked on too bad.