Does anyone have experience hatching chicks in January. They are currently living in my basement, when can I put them out in the barn? They are almost 2wks old now, I know they will probably be inside until 8 wks. How do I transition them? They are in a 5x6' ripped out bathroom currently, everything was ripped out by previous owners, about 3 inches of straw on the floor. Should I be waiting for last frost, like with plants View attachment 1647184
Hi, where (even generally) do you live, and how cold is it usually at this time of year there? That will probably have the greatest affect on when you get them out. Also how many chickens do you have?
You want to wait until they are all fully feathered for sure, but depending on your Barn/coop set up I would think you can get them out well before last frost. I hatched my first batch ever on October 20th, and they went outside around December 20th. We were still getting some freezing temperatures, but they did just fine.
I’m sure others with more experience will be along to give you better advice soon. I moved mine out in the late evening and put them directly into their coop area. Remember to check at dusk to make sure everyone goes inside at first as well!
They also create a lot of little body heat! I transported 13 in a large tote from the garage to their new home, and when I was putting them in it felt like reaching into a warm oven when I was taking them out of the tote (very ventilated with a hardware cloth top, I wasn’t suffocating them, I promise)!
