Chicks outside??

[MrFuzzyPants]

They can go in their actual coop in 30 days at least

 

[Jewellan]

They can go in their actual coop in 30 days at least

Ya that's what I was told. They are Five and a half weeks old today.

 

[subhanalah]

We've been working on our coop and will have it ready for chickens in a couple weeks or less.  We decided that it was about time to order the chicks, but first wanted to know when we should put them in their coop?  We live in South Texas right near San Antonio, and it is in the mid-80's to 90's (Fahrenheit) during the day and rarely gets to even 70 at night.  It never gets below that at this time of year.  By the time the chicks are a couple weeks old it will probably be in the 90's to 100's and maybe, if we're lucky, 80's at night.  At temperatures like this, can I put the chicks outside when they are three weeks old?  We don't want them in the house for very long.

yes you can. As long as they are protected from drafts with adequate ventilation.

 

[hildar]

I guess it depends on the person raising the chicks. Many of us have been doing it for years and know when it's time to let them out. However many folks bring their chicks into this world like they are production chicks, and raise them under brooder lights for months. It's not normal and natural.

My 1 month old chicks want nothing to do with the brood lamp any more. They want to be on the roost at night, away from the light. My 1 week old chicks want to get out and play and they do get running time in the house, however they still have a brood light at night. 2 more weeks and it will be off at night time. But they are in the coop day and night unless if it is for play time.

 

[Jewellan]

S0 I have another question please. Will the chicks go back insdie at night on their own or do I have to put them inside or should I just leave them be. There are no predators here.

 

[GrammiChelle]

We've been working on our coop and will have it ready for chickens in a couple weeks or less.  We decided that it was about time to order the chicks, but first wanted to know when we should put them in their coop?  We live in South Texas right near San Antonio, and it is in the mid-80's to 90's (Fahrenheit) during the day and rarely gets to even 70 at night.  It never gets below that at this time of year.  By the time the chicks are a couple weeks old it will probably be in the 90's to 100's and maybe, if we're lucky, 80's at night.  At temperatures like this, can I put the chicks outside when they are three weeks old?  We don't want them in the house for very long.

I live a little bit south west of you,near Eagle Pass. My chicks were always outside, from when I got them in mid April. They were just a few days old, got them from a Tractor Supply. I did use a heat lamp at night then. The research I did said to keep them around 95 for the first week, and back off about 5 degrees each week. I could never imagine having chicks indoors, probably why I never had chickens when I lived up north.
I had 18 chicks to start with, so they were always able to huddle together for warmth.
As a side note, I also have chickens free range on my property, left here by the homeowners. I give them feed, and we have two hens raising young. They have never been inside, although they do have their mother for warmth. Today we noticed that one of the hens has taught her 3 week old chick to climb quite high in a mesquite tree to roost.

 

[hildar]

I live a little bit south west of you,near Eagle Pass. My chicks were always outside, from when I got them in mid April. They were just a few days old, got them from a Tractor Supply. I did use a heat lamp at night then. The research I did said to keep them around 95 for the first week, and back off about 5 degrees each week. I could never imagine having chicks indoors, probably why I never had chickens when I lived up north.
I had 18 chicks to start with, so they were always able to huddle together for warmth.
As a side note, I also have chickens free range on my property, left here by the homeowners. I give them feed, and we have two hens raising young. They have never been inside, although they do have their mother for warmth. Today we noticed that one of the hens has taught her 3 week old chick to climb quite high in a mesquite tree to roost.

That is the way that chicks should be brought up. It's the natural way. This is why after a couple of days I move my chicks outside. They don't need to be in the house. They should be out side in the sun, and feel the warmth of the sun in the day, sure they need a lamp at night but if you put it in the coop they will get heat. Mine enjoy getting up and roosting already and they are 1 month old. Only 3 NN's stayed with the small chicks last night where the brooder lamp was. I believe it was because the little ones wouldn't sleep they were running around peeping. I could hear the older ones up on the roost chatting with the little ones, like they were telling them to sleep. Finally about 11pm it got quiet.

 

[Chickenlady17]

My husband built me a box which I put in the coop, ran an extension cord and kept the heat lamp on them. A bit of a pain when cleaning the coop but it was worth not having a smelly kitchen here's a picture of the box

 

[artsygirl]

My chicks are about 7-8 weeks and need out. All have adult feathers, except one seems to still have a tad bit of fuzz on the back. They need out, but in our yard they need to have clipped wings so they dont hop the fence and I wonder if it's ok to clip the wings at that age (they like to fly). We're almost done with the coop and it's been nice down here at night (probably no lower than 66) and 80-90 during the day. They've not had the heat lamp on at night and most of the day, and seem fine without it.

 

[TherryChicken]

The temps here in texas is getting pretty darn high, so I think if I put mine out there from the start, they'll be fine.