chickens outside

[dollydaylillies]

Hello everyone, I'm in the Lancaster Ohio area. My chicks are 4 weeks old looks like all their feathers are in but I'm new to chicks so don't know for sure. I have been taking them outside on sunny warm days for about an hour. I moved them outside to their coop yesterday with a heat lamp last night. They did fine however we are going to get temps in the 30's next two nights. Hope they have lots of bedding and a heat lamp and no drafts so I am hoping they will do ok. I only have 6 of them to huddle together. Any thoughts??

 

[cackleberrycam]

Is there a roost for them?

 

[cackleberrycam]

Everything sounds great! Personally, I would wait until they were 6 weeks old to put them in the coop, but... Great job!

 

[dollydaylillies]

yes to the perch which at this time is just a tree limb but they use it. So so cute.

 

[dollydaylillies]

So why do they have to be so old, 6 weeks before taking outside to the coop? just wondering what the reasons were?

thanks,

 

[cackleberrycam]

I am not actually sure why.

It is what I have heard to do and it is what I do with my birds. I am assuming it is so that they can be big enough to handle outdoor conditions and have a strong enough immune system to survive outside.

 

[dollydaylillies]

I brought my girls back in the house as we woke to a dusting of snow this AM and our temps are supposed to get into the teens tonight. I was worried about them even with a heat lamp. Its supposed to warm up again this weekend so I think I will take them back outside. I think they really enjoyed having all the space to move around in. They would jump up to their perch and just sit there looking around. So cute.

Dolly from Ohio

 

[cackleberrycam]