Can I start my chicks outside in their coop? "New Photos" 5/27/12

[jeapa]

I am getting 3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Pymouth Rock chicks mailed this coming week. I have a nice coop and a large outdoor pen already for them. I have electric in the coop so since it is May and not very cold at night here in Delaware I was wondering if I could just keep them in the coop from the start.

Thanks.

 

[wood&feathers]

Yes, BUT...what you may wish to do is place a brooder container in the coop for the first week or two. You don't want one wandering off and getting cold/trapped etc. When the little jumping beans are getting wing feathers and becoming hooligans you can give them more room to roam.

 

[Nicole01]

I wouldn't until they are mostly feathered. They need to start out in a brooder with a heat lamp as little ones.

I keep mine inside for the first 8 weeks. Right now I have 3 new ones downstairs needing to be integrated with the girls in the coop. They are fully feathered, but since they are small, they'll stay in their brooder inside the coop.

If you have a heat lamp in the coop it might work, but a lot of times the heat lamp starts on fire from getting knocked down.

 

[7L Farm]

I always brood mine in the coop

 

[Ridgerunner]

I do, even in cooler months.

I don't know what your coop looks like or how big it is. As long as you can keep one area warm enough with your heat source, you can let the rest cool down as it will. They will find their own comfort zone.

My brooder is 3' x 6' and in the coop. They normally spend the first two or three days pretty near the heat source, but after that they roam all over. They do sleep pretty near the heat source. You may want to section off an area near the heat source depending on how big your coop is, maybe with cardboard, for a few days to keep them near the heat, but certainly less than a week. Give them enough room to get away from the heat if they are too hot.

The coop does need to be draft-proof. They need to stay out of the wind.

I would probably leave them locked in the coop without access to the outside for maybe 4 weeks. By then they should pretty much be feathered out and able to handle the outside.

 

[jeapa]

Thanks so much for all of the responses.

My coop and pen are pretty big. The pen is 24' x 14' x 12' with a metal roof. The coop is 8' x 6' with a window and screen door. It is tall enough for me to stand straight up with about 18" to spare. The pen used to be an aviary and is built really well with 12 gauge wire mesh. It has two layers of wire with space in between the layers to keep hawks from being able to grab any bird. There is wire buried all around the perimeter also to keep out digging mammals.

I plan to section off the coop a little at first and I will give the chicks more space as they grow. I want to use one of the
Brinsea EcoGlow 20 Chick Brooders



I will be sure and keep and monitor them very closely. I don't think a fire will be likely, but I will be vigilant. I grew up up on a small farm and I don't remember my mom ever raising any chickens in the house, but that was years ago and I haven't been around chickens since I was 15. I have very fond memories of that farm, and I guess I am trying to recreate a little bit of that in my own backyard.


Thanks a bunch for the tips. I will post some photos once I get my chicks.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

We brood ours in the coop as well. It's located inside our barn so we have electric and can always have the heat lamps on them. You might want to cover the windows, etc in the evening hours to help maintain a nice warm temp. for them however. It sounds like a nice size coop and I'd see no problem using it if it was me!

 

[jeapa]

We brood ours in the coop as well.  It's located inside our barn so we have electric and can always have the heat lamps on them.  You might want to cover the windows, etc in the evening hours to help maintain a nice warm temp. for them however. It sounds like a nice size coop and I'd see no problem using it if it was me! 

It has worked out really great brooding the chicks in the coop. I started leaving the door open during the day about 3 days ago and the chicks have already learned to go back into the coop at sunset. They will be three weeks old on Monday and tonight I left the heat lamp off because the temp was still 80 in the coop at 9:00pm. I had been leaving the lamp off during the day for the past week as the afternoon temps were either near or above 80 all week. All 12 of my chicks seem to be thriving so I am a happy camper. I will have to post some pics tomorrow.

 

[jeapa]

I went outside with my camera several times today and got some cute photos of my chicks. They will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and for the third night in a row have put themselves up in their coop at sunset. I am amazed at how easy it has been to raise these chicks thus far having a coop and run ready from the beginning.

This is the run and coop:



Ahh Freedom at last



This is the only chick with a name right now, little Squirt, I think she is a runt as she is behind in her feather developement, but otherwise healthy. She is the only chick without feathers.

Thr

Three little butts looking for something tasty



Look mom I flew all the way up here:



Me too, me too



I wish we could get out this door



My favorite BR chick



And after a long day of fun and adventure outside.....

I

Little Squirt is out for the night.....