I have 6 Barred Rock/Buff Orpington cross. They are 6 weeks old and fully feathered and getting quite large. Currently living in a spare bedroom. Of course we were hit with snow and temps in the teens this weekend so I couldn't put them in their coop. This week the temp is supposed to be upper 50's and 60's with lows in the 40's. I will be using wood shavings as bedding. Can I move them to the coop this week with these "higher" temperatures? I am quickly running out of room.
I think it would be ok to put them in their coop but I would also give them their heat lamp at night for a week or so to help them adjust to the change.
Do you have a heat lamp? My 24 chickens are 5 weeks old. Last night it got down to about 30 degrees. I had the heat lamp on in the coop with a blanket covering the roosts to help keep the heat in. This morning when I went out there, they were all running around, scratching and eating and drinking. They were fine!! The temp in the coop near the heat lamp was 48 degrees.
No electricity to the coop yet. I am utilizing a coop built by previous owner of property. Actually planning on building a new/better coop end of this month.
I use an extension cord to be able to have a heat lamp in the brooder. In fact 175 feet was how much the one brooder needed. it works great. bigzio
I live in East Tennessee & put my 26 RIR's out in the coop last week. They are now only 27 days old( mostly feathered out). It got down to around 29 degrees the night before last with strong winds and snow and 22 degrees last night. Inside the coop it was around 50 degree's at the front door but, was a nice comfy 75 degrees at the back of the coop were I had placed 1-infared 250 watt lamp and another clear 250 watt heat lamp about 20" from the floor and another in the middle of the coop at around 6 1/2' from the floor. The chicks were all eating, drinking, running around, and greeting me at the door when I go out to see them at 7 a.m and again when I get home from work at 7 p.m. I think as long as there are NO draft's and you keep them fresh water, food, and a good heat source that they will be fine. My chicks are a litle restless though from not being able to go out in the chicken run, since they have been able to the previous week. (75-80 degree's during the day). These pic's were taken before I added the 2nd light and when the outside temp was around 60 degrees.
