First Night in the Coop...Tonight?

[jeep381]

I was told not to put the chicks out until about 8 weeks because they don't have all their feathers. we finished out coop today and I put them out in it and they were
scared to death trying to get out of it. Mine are about 6 weeks. So they are back in the bedroom in their box. If I were you I'd wait until it was a little warner at night and
they had most of their feathers.

 

[jeep381]

I was told not to put the chicks out until about 8 weeks because they don't have all their feathers. we finished out coop today and I put them out in it and they were
scared to death trying to get out of it. Mine are about 6 weeks. So they are back in the bedroom in their box. If I were you I'd wait until it was a little warner at night and
they had most of their feathers.

 

[highpointfarm]

I suggest you guys wait untill 5 weeks.. And then at that point as long as it is around 60 or so under the heat lamp they will fine =]

I use to be a pet person, Now am a farmer xD lol

 

[outdoorpodcast]

Yeah, mine are still feathering, but I have a heat lamp on them. They are perfectly content in the chicken tractor and are very happy.

 

[featherz]

My 5 week olds are outside, no heat lamp and it's in the 30's here. They will be fine. I've had baby chicks outside with their mama in the SNOW - they also do fine. I use an ecoglow instead of a heat lamp and even when the room is 50-60, the chicks spend more time out from under the heat playing around than they do under any heat. I've had mine off the ecoglow for about two weeks now. I kept my very first chicks inside the house until eight weeks and whoo boy, was that nasty. Never will do that again unless there's a blizzard outside and it's the only shelter available.

 

[cooped up]

Just put my 7 wk old out in their grow out pen. We've been cool here on the left coast.They should be alright, we'll put them to roost for a couple of nights.

 

[jeep381]

I'm going to try and put my 5 week old chicks in the run again soon. They are in the house and the smell is getting unbearable!!! Unless I clean the tub they are in every day. I live in southern Illinois and the days are staying in the lower 70's now. I guess I'm an overprotective first mother. I used to raise ducks and they are so different.

 

[Montana-Hens]

Great thread. I don't usually get chicks this early and been had debating the merits of putting them at 3 weeks old moving them out of the house brooder to the shed with a heat lamp. I live in the high country in Montana and they are calling for snow this week....hmmmm.....I think that they may make the move tomorrow.

 

[cooped up]

They survived the first night out!! Hooray!! It was 40 deg. last night . I opened their pop door and down the ramp they came, ate some, drank some and now perched on a 4x4" that is laying in their grow out pen.

 

[bobchristenson]

Just an update from what I've seen:

My overall realization is: "Wow. I way underestimated these birds". The advice early in this thread to not worry so much as long as they have a heat lamp was very good. Nights got down to freezing in the coop, but with the heatlamp they did just fine (at 3 1/2 weeks).

I read something else recently (in the latest issue of Backyard Poultry, brooding article) on how it's so GOOD for them to be surrounded by cold temps (even at this age) as long as they have a heat source. It's more like mother nature intended.

So, moving ahead, I will have this image of emulating the mother hen: It doesn't matter how cold it is around them as long as they're out of the wind, stay dry, and have a heat lamp to huddle under. It helps them feather quicker, grow stronger, and be more 'chicken-like' and less 'pet-like' in the long run.

Thanks to those posters earlier in this thread that helped me see this and backyard poultry mag who solidified it for me.