First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[Amary123]

my 3 chicks! I have 2 rhode island reds and 1 Iowa Blue. These are my first chicks!

 

[Amary123]

 

[Blooie]

My chicks are 6 weeks old, fully feathered. Is it ok to put them outside if temps are around 40 degrees at night but 70 turning the day. Any suggestion would be appropriated

Absolutely! I put my first group of chicks outside in an unfinished, uninsulated, unheated coop when they were 5.5 weeks old. That was on April 1st in Northern Wyoming. I put a heat lamp out there but they didn't use it....they snuggled down in a pile in front of the pop door, despite temps that kept dropping from 20 degrees early in the night to the teens by midnight. I kept getting up, putting boots on and putting my coat on over my jammies and checking on them as the temps dropped. They were fine - I was freezing. Two days later, after knowing they weren't using the lamp anyway, I took it out. That night it snowed, and our last snowfall was June 6th. They not only survived, they thrived.

Three years later most of those girls are still out there. Some I gave to a neighbor who lost her flock to pack of marauding dogs, some were roos and went to freezer camp, but the majority are still giving us fresh eggs and doing great. Now I raise my chicks outside in a pen in the run from the start, even with temps in the teens and twenties, with a blizzard or two tossed in to keep things interesting. They do so much better - they feather faster, they are confident and I have full integration with the rest of the flock by 4 weeks old. These little things aren't as fragile as we think they are. I took this video two days ago...temps were warm for us - upper 30s. Notice they have no heat lamp and are out with the big girls.

 

[Jensownzoo]

The day before yesterday I sat in the chick area (10x10' dog kennel) and a light brahma surprised me by climbing into my lap.

It must have broken the ice, because today EVERYBODY wanted into my lap! And on my shoulders. And on my arms which I had to outstretch like a scarecrow. I felt a bit like this:

 

[realsis]

Super fun!! It's so awsome isn't it! My chick's are 9 days old now and 7 out of 10 fly into my lap! I feel so blessed ! It's six barred Rocks, 1 Silver Laced wyannadotte, and one Golden Buff that fly to my lap ! The shy 3 are 2 barred rocks, and one Silver Penciled Rock. I hope they come around soon. The Penciled tried to fly to my lap but got scared. I'm hoping soon!

 

[jessschlles4]

That's precious! A proud chicken parent moment! I spend time holding and chatting with my chicks everyday in hopes that when they are older I'll get a similar result. Thanks for sharing!!!!

 

[jessschlles4]

Love the video!!! :cd

 

[captivatedlife]

I am so excited to see all the pictures. It's cool to DIY the raising of chickens. We also are first time chicken owners and just got out batch yesterday - 8 chicks, two of each type: Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Easter Eggers, Barred Rock. After multiple mini fiasco's with the heart situation (we thought it would be easy because we have snakes and are used to the snake lights... One bulb was broken and we didn't know it, the snake cage is heavy... Well, here are the girls!

 

[river46201]

Well, that can be one tell tale sign, but remember that the big outdoors is new and scary, and all they've had for security is each other.  So it's not uncommon at all for them to huddle together in one spot as if they were frozen in place as they try to take it all in.  Watch for distressed cheeping, (and you'll know THAT sound when you hear it), or sometimes even shivering.  But at least give them a little time, right in the bright sun if you can, and let them relax a bit.  If one or two venture away from the others and start exploring a bit, then you know they were huddling in confusion, not cold.  


I was a bad chicken mama with my first batch.  I couldn't stand them in the house one more minute, so on April 1st, at 5.5 weeks old, I evicted them to the coop.  It wasn't even finished yet!  Temps were still pretty cold but I put a heat lamp out there for them.  The first night I was up constantly, checking them.  They were huddled beak to tail in a ball in front of the pop door, nowhere near the heat lamp.  I had one of those wireless thermometers out there with the receiver next to my bed and I watched as it dropped down into the 20s, and I was out of bed more than I was in it that first night.  Second night, same story, but I only got up to check on them once, and again they were huddled together sleeping soundly on the opposite end of the coop from the heat lamp.  So that next morning it came out.  They weren't using it, and I wasn't risking it.  That night it snowed.  And we kept getting snow until June 6th.  They thrived.  That's when I decided that all that stuff about exactly 95 the first week and dropping it by 5 degrees weekly was a lot of hooey - at least to me - and I started looking for a better, more natural way to raise chicks.  I haven't looked back.  

The point of all that is to reassure you that yes, they need care and owners need to provide that.  But they are chickens, not little Divas and when we raise them as Divas they have a harder time adapting to the great outdoors where they'll spend the majority of their lives.  So put them out, make sure they aren't shivering, but let them figure it out.  They will.

My coop is about 2' above ground.... if I put the babes in it, with the heating pad, will I have to worry about them going down the walkway? Or will they be able to get back up it? Or would I need to close it off until they get bigger?

 

[Blooie]

My coop is about 2' above ground.... if I put the babes in it, with the heating pad, will I have to worry about them going down the walkway? Or will they be able to get back up it? Or would I need to close it off until they get bigger?

I can't answer that. Each situation is so different, and each batch of chicks is also different. Some will get it right away and run up and down like they were born to it. Some will get it one way but not be able (or willing) to even try to reverse directions. And some need to be helped up and down first time, every time until they figure it out. Part of the answer depends too on how steep the ramp is and how well cleated it is....if the cleats in the ramp are spaced too far apart that can cause issues. Some folks put a small nightlight in the coop so that towards evening they'll head for the light. You'll just have to try it to know how they'll react.