Can our chicks go outside to coop?

[Dtoper]

Hi there,

Our chicks are about 7/8 wks old now; fully feathered and growing like weeds! It’s freezing here in CT - 10-30 degrees this time of year. Two are barred rock and the third is about double their size, all white (no clue what type). Three chicks total. Is it too cold to put them out in a coop yet?! They’ve really just out grown the brooder their in and need more space.

Thx!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

If they not using heat any longer and are fully feathered I would say get them out there. Have they been outside at all yet?

 

[chickens really]

Location plays a big part but if off heat they will be okay...

 

[Alaskan]

Three chicks total. Is it too cold to put them out in a coop yet?!

It depends... how much colder is the coop compared to where they have been kept?

If the temp difference is large (30 degrees F or more of a difference), I would help them to slowly adjust.

I like tossing them into the coop for a few hours during the day and see how they look.

Depending on how cold they look they might be able to stay out all day, or only stay out for three hours.

Since it is usually much colder at night, especially if they looked at all cold during the day, I would bring them in at night.

Hopefully after a week of transitioning then can be in the coop 24/7.

However, keep an eye on them and the weather forecast. A huge sudden dip can be tough on young chickens.

If the temp difference between the coop and where they are being kept isn't that large (like 15 degrees F difference) sure, kick them out. I would still watch them closely for a few days though.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You will definitely need to acclimate them to your outdoor temperatures. Just because they are fully feathered doesn't mean they can handle drastic temperature drops. If possible put them out with a heat lamp and continue the acclimating. You may need to provide some sort of heat for quite a bit yet depending on your average temperatures.

What temperatures are they currently used to? Remember chicks have no real body fat to help them stay warm.

 

[Acre4Me]

I would work on acclimating them to the outdoor temps. Maybe outdoors part of the day for a few days, In at night. If you make the brooder dark when you put them in for the evening, they will sleep, so they won't be moving around so much in the brooder they've outgrown. You could make a temp brooder out of large cardboard box for them to be in while acclimating and at night while you are acclimating them - just make sure to cover it with something that allows air flow to prevent them from getting out.

We raised 12 meat birds last year and they were fine in our 6x3 brooder for the first few weeks. We had NO coop for them, so they went outdoors (warm Aug/Sept weather) everyday for the entire day in a section of our regular chicken run once they were 3-4 weeks old. But had to be put in the brooder at night - inside the barn, safe from predators. They managed fine because they were ready to rest at night and so settled into their spots for the night. They still had room to walk around up to point of processing, but not to much in a 6x3 brooder! But it worked out ok for those few weeks because it was only for the night. Our neighbor was humored by us transporting the meaties to their outdoor area in our wheelbarrow every morning and evening!

Good Luck!