Can they go outside for good soon?

[Tracyree]

I have three chicks that are 5 1/2 weeks old. Two a silkies and I have no idea which is their fluff and which is their feathers. The other is a mystery chick that is fully feathered except for her head, still all fluff from the "shoulders" up.

We are getting down to the lower 60's at night. They've been in my garage, which doesn't get lower than 80.

Can they go out to the coop at night yet?

 

[jtbrown]

I put mine out this spring when it still got quite cool when they were 5-6 weeks old (end of April and May is when they went to big coop in Ohio, so, nights were pretty cold). I did use a small heat lamp for a few days, then let them be, they did fine. I hope that helps, but I babied my first group hatched end of March, and the 2nd group I was ready to get out of the workshop ASAP as we had had chicks in there for several months by then. They all did great. Be sure coop is draft proof and safe and I'll bet they would be good. Good luck.

 

[JodyJo]

I put mine out in the coop at 5 weeks, as soon as they feathered, it was in the 50"s, they did great!

 

[Judy]

I would.

 

[bobbieschicks]

My White Leghorns were 3.5 weeks and I moved them to their coop without a heat lamp. It was in the 90s in the day and upper 70s at night. They huddled in a mass together and slept fine. I'm glad I moved them out there - they love it. Tomorrow they'll be 6 weeks old and the weather has been dropping to the 60s here lately. Tonight - just like they've been doing - they all got together and made their way up the gang plank into the coop - smooshed each other to get the best spot in the corner and laid down to sleep at about 8pm. The automatic door closes at 8:15pm and by that time they're already cooing each other to sleep.

 

[azygous]

Go ahead and move them into their coop. They'll do fine. It will also give them plenty of time to slowly acclimate as the seasons turn cooler.

 

[Tracyree]

Thanks all. Moved them to a tractor inside the main coop's run. The run is as predator proof as humanly possible, the tractor is just to give them a place to sleep and keep the big girls from getting to them. Checked on them a few times and the silly things were sleeping out on the ground. Stuffed them in the interior part and hope they have the sense to stay there. It's got tons of clean pine shavings and all cozy, so hopefully they'll stay warm enough. Good point that they should start getting used to weather now, while it's still warm at night.