First Night Out

[CoopedUpChicken]

Hi! I have a flock of baby chicks I've been raising for 5+ weeks now. We are really excited! We've gotten so much great advice here!

I have 15 girls and 1 boy. They are all different breeds and beautiful. I constructed my own coop and pen - using nothing but wood, wood, screws/washers, more wood and more hardware cloth than you can imagine!

Our neighborhood dogs came to visit right after I put 10 of the babies outside for the first time and the coop/pen passed the first test! No dogs go inside I'm nervous because I know we have fox around here - I've seen them. I have hardware cloth on the top, bottom, sides screwed into all kinds of framing - so I hope they will be okay!

Ciao!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

How did the first night out go? Sounds like you have definitely taken all the right steps in your construction.

 

[CoopedUpChicken]

They did great!!!

I got really freaked out because it wasn't supposed to rain, but it rained twice for about 5 minutes each time. The chicks were not phased whatsoever. Not even a peep!

Tonight, the Wyandotte rooster was a bit unsettled, but I found him a spot to roost next to another chick and he settled in nicely. Unfortunately, when I went into the pen/coop - some of the other chicks decided to roost on me while I was tending to the rooster! They just fly onto me, grab my shirt and crawl up onto my shoulders (and sometimes my head)! This was all in the dark with a flashlight sitting on the ground.

It's supposed to dip into the mid 40s tonight
So they got their rain experience the first night and some chilly wind tonight - but they seem very comfy. No shaking, worried peeps or chills. I have about 6 left inside their makeshift brooder in the house and will add a couple more tomorrow to the outside flock. Some are a bit more skittish and need a little extra time to acclimate and/or grow.

At what age is it appropriate to put silkies out? And what about cochins?

Thanks!