Are my babies ready for outside? (Florida)

[mlahodik]

Hi, I have 3 chicks I bought on 9/5. I think they were two or three days old at most. They are about 4 weeks. They have most of their feathers I think. Temperature inside our house stays at around 74-76 average. I have been removing the lamp occasionally during the day near the window as they get sun. Highs are supposed to be in the low 80s and lows in the mid 70s this week. First time it's this cold in months.

My question is: What would be the best way to start letting them get used to the coop? Can I leave them there during the day? As you can see they get plenty of ventilation and I have 18" apron of hardware cloth all around including the sides of the entire coop.

I want to buy 3 more pullets but having a hard time finding any.

Advice greatly appreciated.

 

[azygous]

Kick those little free loaders out of the house. They've bamboozled you into believing they're helpless, fragile babies.

Your climate is so temperate, baby chicks can practically be raised outdoors with no heat. At least during the day. Three-week old chicks in most cases can dispense with heat during the day. By four weeks, they should be avoiding the heat zone pretty much even at night, your signal they are close to being heat weaned.

By all means get those twerps out into their coop. They'll be happier and so will you. But first quit coddling them with heat or they will soon kick you out of the house and take it over.

 

[mlahodik]

Kick those little free loaders out of the house. They've bamboozled you into believing they're helpless, fragile babies.

Your climate is so temperate, baby chicks can practically be raised outdoors with no heat. At least during the day. Three-week old chicks in most cases can dispense with heat during the day. By four weeks, they should be avoiding the heat zone pretty much even at night, your signal they are close to being heat weaned.

By all means get those twerps out into their coop. They'll be happier and so will you. But first quit coddling them with heat or they will soon kick you out of the house and take it over.

Thanks, I was going to leave their cage out there tonight in case they felt strange and wanted a roost. The coop area still needs roost bars and some work for the adding of the nest boxes and finishing touches.
Someone told me that it was too cold for 4 week olds to be outside at night. They were so happy to get out of that tiny cage.
I am sooooo ready to get them out of the house!

 

[azygous]

They do need acclimatizing. So turn off their heat in the brooder for starters. Let them spend all day outside for a few days, then move them into the coop.

It's helpful as you've intuited to help them transition with something familiar. I also recommend installing them in their coop early in the day so they can explore and become comfortable being there before dark. It can make a big difference in how well they handle their first night.