Are they ready?

[GW02]

Ok so my 16 chicks are definitely too big for the brooder now, but the 4 Brahmas I have aren’t 100% feathered… I would say around 95%, they still have down on their backs. The other 12 are fully feathered so I’m not too worried but these are the temps coming up, I’m wondering if it’s even too cold for the fully feathered ones. I could put a space heater or heat lamp in the coop and the coop is inside a barn so they’ll have a wind block.

 

[Brooks_]

I would be comfortable with those temps provided they get acclimated. Wait, is that the hi or low?

 

[rosemarythyme]

How old are the chicks? It's a misconception that they need to be fully feathered to be off heat, around 70% is pretty good.

Are they already off heat indoors/wherever the brooder is right now? If not, you should do that first.

Do NOT add a heat lamp, that's just a massive fire risk in a barn and you're not facing arctic type temperatures.

 

[GW02]

I would be comfortable with those temps provided they get acclimated. Wait, is that the hi or low?

The highs&lows show if you click on the picture.

How old are the chicks? It's a misconception that they need to be fully feathered to be off heat, around 70% is pretty good.

Are they already off heat indoors/wherever the brooder is right now? If not, you should do that first.

Do NOT add a heat lamp, that's just a massive fire risk in a barn and you're not facing arctic type temperatures.

They’re 7 weeks and they’re off for the majority of the day except for a couple cold nights we’ve had since they’re in the garage and it gets pretty cold out there. No on the heat lamp would a space heater on just the nights it’s in the 20s be necessary or should they be acclimated by then? I have a camera out in the coop I’m sure I’ll be checking like crazy

 

[rosemarythyme]

They’re 7 weeks and they’re off for the majority of the day except for a couple cold nights we’ve had since they’re in the garage and it gets pretty cold out there. No on the heat lamp would a space heater on just the nights it’s in the 20s be necessary or should they be acclimated by then? I have a camera out in the coop I’m sure I’ll be checking like crazy

At 7 weeks, they should be fine without added heat. Get them completely off heat for a few days (preferably a few colder days), then they can go out. Since your set up is inside a barn, as long as the barn walls are fairly solid then drafts (which could ruffle feathers and cause them to lose body heat) shouldn't be an issue.

Some folks have younger chicks out at those temperatures (20s), granted they're raised outside or in the coop, so more hardened to colder temps, which is why you want to know they can be off heat completely before moving them.