Different aged chicks, when to put them outside?

[Simply Fit]

They're all too young to be outside at 30 to 40F without supplemental heat. We use a cozy coop radiant heater in our grow out pen, but still don't put them outside until they're 6-8 weeks old.

If you haven't tried putting them together yet, do you have them all separated in a brooder? I'd try now before you put them out so they'd all be able to huddle together. We've put up to 3-weeks apart with silkies and a different breed just fine in the past. It's best if they could all be put together while you're right there to watch what goes on. Depending on breed, they just might be fine all together now, especially the 3 and 4-week olds.

I'm on the same boat here. I have been searching for answers for a bit but haven’t found exactly what I am looking for. I am brand new to chickens. I currently have 3 that will be 6 weeks this week and 4 that will be 5 weeks this week. I'm in California and the weather has been very crazy. it is currently 56 degrees outside and I want to know when exactly I can have them outside and if they can be outside, should I be providing heat for them? I still have a red light but I keep adjusting the distance so that it's not to hot for them. I don't know what breeds I have (except for 2 Easter Eggers). Any information or if you can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm on the same boat here. I have been searching for answers for a bit but haven’t found exactly what I am looking for. I am brand new to chickens. I currently have 3 that will be 6 weeks this week and 4 that will be 5 weeks this week. I'm in California and the weather has been very crazy. it is currently 56 degrees outside and I want to know when exactly I can have them outside and if they can be outside, should I be providing heat for them? I still have a red light but I keep adjusting the distance so that it's not to hot for them. I don't know what breeds I have (except for 2 Easter Eggers). Any information or if you can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

It would be best to start your own thread here, but I'll suffice it to say they probably could be outside but at night below around 50F they might still get cold. That's why I use that flat panel heater I referred to. Cheap to run, safe, and if they need it, they can lean on it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm on the same boat here. I have been searching for answers for a bit but haven’t found exactly what I am looking for. I am brand new to chickens. I currently have 3 that will be 6 weeks this week and 4 that will be 5 weeks this week. I'm in California and the weather has been very crazy. it is currently 56 degrees outside and I want to know when exactly I can have them outside and if they can be outside, should I be providing heat for them? I still have a red light but I keep adjusting the distance so that it's not to hot for them. I don't know what breeds I have (except for 2 Easter Eggers). Any information or if you can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

If they haven't been outside at all you can start putting them out for progressively longer periods of time each day, no heat (but they should have access to a sheltered area that provides shade, rain and wind protection).

Assuming the other breeds are similar in size and feathering to an EE, realistically they could've already been living full time outside without heat, but better to ease them into that especially if they've never been away from heat indoors.

 

[PoppasGrill]

I'm on the same boat here. I have been searching for answers for a bit but haven’t found exactly what I am looking for. I am brand new to chickens. I currently have 3 that will be 6 weeks this week and 4 that will be 5 weeks this week. I'm in California and the weather has been very crazy. it is currently 56 degrees outside and I want to know when exactly I can have them outside and if they can be outside, should I be providing heat for them? I still have a red light but I keep adjusting the distance so that it's not to hot for them. I don't know what breeds I have (except for 2 Easter Eggers). Any information or if you can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

At those ages we usually have ours out in a coop with a run full time, with a high lamp for a little radiant heat at night that they can get under if they want to. Ours lose the lamp once fully feathered and if we notice that they are not using the lamp at night.
That being said, we are in Florida, so our coops are 3 sided, not fully enclosed , more of a breezeway into the run, and we have them integrated with the rest of the flock by 7-8 weeks.
Have had a bad bullying problem with this last clutch, mostly due to roosters, so they are now 9-10 weeks and not integrated but getting yard time while we are out there.