Can the chicks go outside?

[Chick_a_dee]

My EE girls are 6 weeks and I think they need to go out to the big girl coop. I can set up a brooder in the corner with a light in the big girl coop, should I put them out this weekend? I can put a heat lamp on them, so cold I don't think should be an issue.

 

[gritsar]

I don't see why not. You don't mention your temps. but with a brooder lamp they'll be just fine anyhow.
Be careful and secure that heat lamp extra good.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
We're in Eastern Ontario, Canada. We get up to 20 degrees C during the day right now, sometimes higher... at night around 14-18 C...

I can hang the heat lamp with a guard from the ceiling on a chain in the coop

 

[gritsar]

Oh dear, you made me do metric system for the first time since high school!!

20 degrees C = about 68 degrees farenheit correct? And 14 degrees C = 57?

Yeah, they'll be fine. Iffin they were mine and in a draft free coop, I wouldn't even use the heat during the day.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
hahaha... temp is the only thing I do metric and I live in Canada.

 

[Judy]

Let's see, that's a low of about 57F. At 6 weeks they are ready for 60F, so they barely need heat, if they do. They certainly won't in a week or two. (I can't think in Celsius!)

By all means, put them out there. And don't bother to run the heat during the day. If there is an attached run or yard, let them have access to that, too, during the day. They may not go out right away -- but that is often because of fear, not cold. They will know to go in for warmth if they need it.

I agree with Chickadee that heat lamps should always have a second means of securing them; hard to predict all possible failures of the hanging mechanism. After I hang them, I use a scrap of plastic covered metal clothesline wire, for example -- just what I have around. Too many coops burn down from heat lamps/lights -- and sometimes houses.

 

[Judy]

Well, I was posting while the others were.

I don't think Americans will ever learn to think in Celsius!

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
I'm not sure they'll be able to go into the run until they're older because they're an addition to our 15 turning a year old, hens who are obviously much larger. I can separate a large portion of the coop for them though, and will be able to bring them out to a small pen during the day most days

They don't have a lot of space in the house right now in their brooder, and I reckoned that since they're 6 weeks they should be able to go out to our *insulated* hen house.

I'm planning on making the brooder in there out of hay bales (not stacked..just one height of them on their fattest side down) with a piece of heavy duty mesh on top ..think the security mesh you put on windows. The hens should not be able to dislodge this, and they won't be able to get crushed under hay bales since they'll be on their widest side.