at wat age are they ok to go out into the coop ?

[IrishBoy]

hey so i have 2 baby turks ... 16 days old 2day .. and i was wondering wen is it ok for them to be taken of the heat lamp and go outside, we have warm days now durin summer but i know it's still too early but just wondering cause they are loosing their baby fluff ans can see real featers now ...

 

[chickenzoo]

Hi. I usually wait until they are mostly feathered because poults can be so delicate. If not and it is very warm, I will put them out on wire,( with three sides covered to block the wind )and a heat lamp with 100 watt bulb at night. I don't put them on the ground until 3 months old, to avoid them getting anything from the ground, which can be a big problem with poults..

 

[IrishBoy]

no problems lol ! .... thank you for the help!

 

[pdpatch]

The first hurdle is that there immune system is not fully developed until they are around 7 to 9 weeks old.

The heat lamp is raised to the temp is reduce about 5 degrees a week until the area around them is around 70 degrees. You want to keep there brooder around around 70 degrees Until about 2 month, this helps give the a good start as there not using the energy they get from the feed to stay warm.

Ours went out at about 3 months this year and stayed in the turkey coop and pen for several weeks before they were let out for supervised free ranging. After a couple of weeks they learned where the home was, and most of the time come back before dusk.

But they still get lost during the day so we have to keep an eye on them.

Tom