Can 4 week old chicks spend the day outside and start weaning onto adult food?

[farlo4]

Thank you that is helpful.

 

[Veer67]

What I've been doing with my chicks is I base it on the weather. If it's warm and sunny outside I take them and put them in the chicken tractor for a little bit. I stay out with them and if it starts to get breezy or they act as if they are cold I bring them back inside. I start with about half an hour just so they get the idea of it.

That's what I do with new chicks too.

 

[farlo4]

Thanks for all your replies; I've got it all figured out. I have a door to the coop now so they can go in and out as they please. I am feeding them the chick grower crumbles.
One more question: when can I remove the heat light from the coop? It is a 100 watt red bulb. The chicks are just about 5 weeks old now. Here's are some pictures. (The massive chicks are the meat birds)

 

[chixmaidservice]

So... If I have 5 laying hens and new chicks from the feed store, I can integrate the chicks in w/ the older girls as soon as the chicks move up to the grower feed? Feed everyone the grower crumbles and continue to provide oyster shell for the adults? Will the chicks eat oyster shell and would it hurt their kidneys like the layer crumbles? I had assumed I would have to keep them separate until the chicks were ready for layer feed, but would be great if they could move in early as they need more space. They are already outside in a run adjoining the big girls pen and my partridge rock layer is already very emotionally involved thru the fence!

 

[donrae]

Thanks for all your replies; I've got it all figured out. I have a door to the coop now so they can go in and out as they please. I am feeding them the chick grower crumbles.
One more question: when can I remove the heat light from the coop? It is a 100 watt red bulb. The chicks are just about 5 weeks old now. Here's are some pictures. (The massive chicks are the meat birds)

How cold is it getting at night? I'd probably leave the light on at night another week or so, but during the day I'd leave it off.

 

[donrae]

So... If I have 5 laying hens and new chicks from the feed store, I can integrate the chicks in w/ the older girls as soon as the chicks move up to the grower feed? Feed everyone the grower crumbles and continue to provide oyster shell for the adults? Will the chicks eat oyster shell and would it hurt their kidneys like the layer crumbles? I had assumed I would have to keep them separate until the chicks were ready for layer feed, but would be great if they could move in early as they need more space. They are already outside in a run adjoining the big girls pen and my partridge rock layer is already very emotionally involved thru the fence!

You can feed everyone starter or grower or all flock/flock raiser or all-in-one. This is what I do, with the oyster shell offered also. The little tend to taste the oyster shell and maybe eat a bit, but overall they just don't care for it and don't bother it. My hens lay just great on the all-in-one.

I think you'll have more problems with pecking if they're very different in size than with the feed.

 

[sadr1925]

I put my babies out on the ground when they are 5 weeks with a heat lamp in the coop. If the weather is going to be cool, I turn the lamp on, if not I don't. As far as the feed, I start my babies on starter until 4 weeks, grower until 8 weeks, and a little hen scratch mixed with the grower until they are 15 weeks. I also mix grit in with all the food because the chicks need the grit to help them digest the food. I get the day old chicks and I give them the electrolytes 3 days after they hatch for 3 days and then wait until they are about 5 weeks and give them another dose of electrolytes. I have raised over 400 chicks this year so far and my system seems to be working. I feel that the fresh air and the ground help they grow. Good luck.

 

[fiddlebanshee]

So... If I have 5 laying hens and new chicks from the feed store, I can integrate the chicks in w/ the older girls as soon as the chicks move up to the grower feed? Feed everyone the grower crumbles and continue to provide oyster shell for the adults? Will the chicks eat oyster shell and would it hurt their kidneys like the layer crumbles? I had assumed I would have to keep them separate until the chicks were ready for layer feed, but would be great if they could move in early as they need more space. They are already outside in a run adjoining the big girls pen and my partridge rock layer is already very emotionally involved thru the fence!

I would not put chicks in with adult birds. They will be very aggressive towards them and the small ones have no way to defend themselves. They need to be at least more or less the same size before you attempt that. You need a grow-out pen, or a screened-off portion in your coop to let them live together without being able to peck the small ones.