are there absolute rules for moving chks to the coop?

[aidensmomma]

I'm in N. Cent. Florida, and the weather here is already beautiful. The coldest it's been for the last few weeks was this morning at 40degrees and the high today is 78degrees. I have 12 chicks, 6 of them are about a week older then the others, and they are getting too huge for the brooder and i don't see any more fuzz...is it safe for them to move outside? I guess I'm just not sure if it's the age you go by, or the weather...or if it's a circumstantial thing determining when chicks are ready to go in the coop. They will have morning sun and afternoon shade in their run. Any advice is appreciated. This forum has been most helpful for my husband and I; we are new chicken owners and picking over all the advice has been extremely helpful in building the coop as well as caring for the chicks, so thanks!

 

[drdoolittle]

Someone else asked a similair question (as did I), and the answer one BYCer gave was that if they are at least 4 weeks old, feathered out, and the temps won't be belo 30 F. or so, they'll be fine outdoors. I just put some young ones I got today outside, and they are doing great!

 

[chicmom]

I would love to put my chicks outside, but I've got to keep them in a few more weeks. Here in Ohio the weather has just been cold and windy with gray skies......I'm just so tired of it! I really want to play outside......(I mean ME, not just the chickens....)

 

[aidensmomma]

Thanks for the reply! I've been giving them outdoor time daily now. All 12 of them have stayed together and come running towards me when they get scared...so funny to watch, and they are loving chasing the bugs and things. My gut tells me (and i've been kinda just going by that instinct for all of this) that they are more then ready.

 

[aidensmomma]

chicmom, i know exACTLY how you feel, I grew up in SW MI. right now would be a great time to head south for a week or two!! ( and I mean you, not the chickens)

 

[lizch]

I put mine out at 4 weeks, because my husband was beginning to get really fed up of the smell in the laundry room! I got the impression he'd eat them for a snack if I didn't move them. I'm in the Seattle area, and it's been mid 40s-mid 50s most of the time. They seemed chilly the first day or two, despite moving the heat lamp with them. In retrospect I should have turned the heat lamp off for longer and longer periods while they were in the house. But they've been out there almost a week now, and seem very happy--not all huddling under the lamp any more and enjoying having space to flap wings and even fly a bit.

In the next couple of days, I'll open the hatch to the run underneath and let them decide to brave the REAL outdoors

Liz.

 

[domino7]

I put my 6 wk old chicks out a few weeks ago. We've had some very cold nights, and they're all fine. Of course, they do have a coop to go into lol.

 

[gritsar]

The biggest problem you can run into is taking chicks that are still under their heatlamp and suddenly sticking them outside in a coop without acclimating them first.

Weaned off their heat lamp, put in a draft free, predator-proof coop, they'll be fine. Honest.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

There are all kinds of rules.


I ignore them all.

If they are feathered out, just do as Gritty suggested and turn the heat light off for a day or two, then move them to the coop.

 

[columbiacritter]

Rule #1 it all depends! Nothing is absolute. Depends on weather, on what kind of chicks, how you've brooded them, etc.

We moved some 6 weekers out to their coop with just a heat emitter on at night. Normally they would go out at 4 wks, but our weather has been soooooooooo very awful. Still is awful so they are in the coop but not allowed out yet.

The next batch is rapidly out growing the brooders too, but I don't have an empty coop to move them into so they'll have to wait until they are big enough to withstand weather and adult birds.