Are my chicks ready for the coop?

[EsJaye]

I just bought five Cochin pullets and they look mostly feathered (except the little black one) but I thought it would be better to go with caution and ask those with more experience . I live in Idaho and the lows are in the high thirties and the highs are around 56-75 degrees right now. I have a coop with a nicely insulated nest box and sleeping area with a ground level foraging area. - Thanks for your time!

Pic of Pullets

 

[Chick Charm]

If your coop is draft free you can run a heat lamp to it and they should be alright. With those temps I would not put them out until around 6 weeks. Though I must add I have brooded and kept chicks outdoors from day one with success. Heat lamp and no drafts usually equal success.

Wish ya the best.

 

[Chick Charm]

 

[EsJaye]

Thank you!

 

[Chick Charm]

How old are your chicks?

Have you decided to put em out or wait a bit?

 

[EsJaye]

They are around five weeks, give or take. they spent part of the day out in the coop with my supervision and loved it but tonight they are back in their tub in the bathroom. I think i might slowly let them spend more and more time out and see how they act...

 

[Chick Charm]

By week six (next week I think). They should be fully feathered and able to take it. They may chirp or peep through night for the first few nights.

 

[EsJaye]

thank you, they'll be happy about being in the coop, i had to practically force them back into their tub haha. like prying kids from a park.

 

[azygous]

I've been trying to point out to people that chicks do not need to have their entire environment heated, as long as they have one heated spot they can go to when they feel chilled. Sort of like we do on a camping trip when we have a fire to warm us.

Your chicks look pretty darned close to six weeks already. Except for the small one, which appears no more than three weeks. But I would go ahead and move them into the coop with a heat source day and night for awhile until you can observe how much they actually use it.

During the day, if they spend all their time away from the heat zone, then turn it off. They will probably need heat during the night for a few more weeks until your weather warms up more or they finish feathering out. The small one won't be far behind.

Your biggest reason to move them into the coop is that that box is much too small for all of them. They would be much better off in the coop. Don't worry! Chicks the age of yours are far more hardy than you think! By giving them a large area to live in where they can choose to warm themselves or not to, will encourage their feathers to come in much faster, and they'll also be much happier. Chicks that are in a small confined space are stressed and may resort to picking on each other.

 

[EsJaye]

Sounds good, i dont like leaving them in the box (which is now a rubbermaid) except to sleep so i give them play times. the coop gives them room to do something i thought they were too young for, flying. i didnt know they could until the orange and black decided to use my shoulder as a perch. the breeder wasn't very specific about ages. she was like, 'this ones pretty, here!".