Can 2&3 week old Cornish cross handle an overnight low of 32°?

[DoxonFarms]

I'm on my second batch of pasture poultry cornish cross. I did the other ones earlier this summer. Anyway I have 48 chickens 36- 3 weekers and 12- 2 weekers. The highs are still in the 90's but the overnight lows are dropped into the 30's here and there. I want to put them out in the pasture but is it to cold for the little ones? I feel like the 3 weekers would do okay, and I'd prefer them in the pasture foraging then in the barn. Thanks for your opinions.

 

[iwltfum]

I wouldn't until they are at at least 4 weeks. The older clutch might survive, but the cold will probably stunt their growth a bit, which will leave you growing them even later into the cold season. I would also try to acclimatize them to colder temps at night while you still have them in the brooder to encourage their feather growth by raising the heat lamp or lowering your brooder temp a little faster than you might otherwise.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I suggest setting up some temporary fencing to offer them an outdoor run - chase them out into it mid morning, after the chill is off, chase them back into the grow out pen late afternoon, before the sun starts to dip.

If you can't, due to scheduling conflicts, work, etc, better to leave them in. That's young to risk a big temperature range like that - they don't have the body mass at that age to take rapid swings, and while they would certainly cluster together, I would not trust Cornish Cross to do the penguin thing and rotate cold birds into the center. Those that could force their way in, would. The weakest would suffer, possible increase your flock losses, almost certainly reduce body weights in the smallest bird come processing time.

 

[DoxonFarms]

I turned the heat lamp off a few days a go. Our lows are in the 50's now the bigger ones are almost feathered out. The forecast shows a day where the high will be in the mid 40's figured I should wait till that passes. Weather is strange sometimes. Lows have been in the 60's till I got them, which was kinds an impulse deal. We're already almost done with our first batch. Can't believe how many people are interested in home grown chicken.