Cold weather...is my chick old enough to be in chicken house...no hen with it.

[sfogle]

Hi,

I am having a dilema with our baby chick. There were 2 and its hatch mate died overnight, so it is now alone. None of our mama hens will take it in as their own, so it is just in the chicken house.

My concern is that it is getting cold....below 30 degrees here and am wondering if the chick will be warm enough without any other chickens around it. I am really not sure on age.....at least a month, but probably not quite 2 months old. He is a little bantam...lots of fluffy feathers, but I still worry. When the other chick died last night, temps. dropped into the 20's...so just want to make sure it wasn't the cold that killed the other chick.

So...if anyone knows what the temp. to age ratio for chicks to be in the chicken house, I would greatly appreciate it. I just need to know whether to bring it in at night for awhile on these cold nights.

Thank you!!

 

[mstricer]

I wouldn't do that, the other one probably died because it was too cold.

 

[sfogle]

How old til the chick can handle being in the chicken house during cold temps? Our chicken house is sealed up pretty good...but has a few drafts.

 

[gabrielle1976]

They need to be fully featherd includeing the chest and belly, If your babies alone I would get it a friend single chickies are lonely cold chickies

 

[stevetone]

I would not recommend keeping it out with the others during the day and then bringing it in at night. This creates a whole lot of stress on the flock as their "membership" keeps changing.

Keep the chick inside until it is feathered out, probably 6-8 weeks, and then put it with the others. Provide a place it can "escape" to when it needs to, a place where the old hens cannot fit. Preferably, a place that is small enough to contain some of its body heat. A small "box" with a small opening that only it can fit through works.

Introducing only one bird into a flock is very challenging--expect some "difficulties."

Oh, and get rid of the drafts. Chickens need draft-free before they need warmth.

Just my opinion. There are other ways. Too bad about its hatchmate.