dont want them to freeze to death.

[WVjoe]

most things i read say that i can put my chickys in thier coop at 5 weeks, but its the middle of winter here with temps between 15-35 degrees. will they freeze to death if i stick them out thier at 5 weeks old in the middle of winter? alot of peoples threads i read on the subject says not to use heat lamps in thier coop. would it be ok to use a heat lamp till spring then take it out? I have a cold weather breed ( wyandottes) but im just not sure they will be ok at this size in this kind of weather. Help! LOL...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They should be well feathered and quite able to thrive in your winter coop at 5 weeks. To speed up the feathering make sure to keep raising your light so they are not at 95 or 90F the entire 5 weeks. Raise the light a few times then turn it off for periods of time then actually take it out the last week so they are at room temp. By steadily lower the temperature it promotes faster feather growth.

If your chicks are already at 5 weeks then I'd keep them brooded for another week without light or perhaps put them in a cooler garage or basement to acclimate them. They'll be fine outside after.