Get OUT of my house!!

[kemclaughlin]

My 4 week old chicks are driving me crazy!! It's time for them to move out. I think tonight will be their first night outside in the coop. It's probably going to be around 40 degrees tonight. If I put their brooder light out there, should they be okay?

 

[muscovymommy11]

Yes, they should be okay. does your coop have a top and all sides to ensure safety?

 

[debid]

They'll be fine. My chicks have been out since they arrived -- not everyone keeps chicks in the house.

 

[kemclaughlin]

Yes, the coop is secure, I am glad to know they can be brooded outside. It's not so bad for the first week or even two, but now they can get out and they are squabbling and there's lots of poop. I am done with it!

 

[Dahlisgrams]

It drives me batty having chicks in the house for too long too. If they're fully feathered and there are enough of them they do not need a heat lamp at all. You can always give them heat for a few days just to make sure. I use our warmest coop in the most sheltered location to relocate chicks at this age without heat and have no problems. It's a 4x8 and it's off the ground and has lots of bedding for them to snuggle in if they don't want to roost.

Good luck with your chicks!

 

[kemclaughlin]

Well, they're not quite fully feathered, but there are plenty of them and they will have bedding and roosts. That's part of the problem with the bigger ones. They are roosting on the top of the brooder walls. We have newspaper down, but is gross!! Plus, one flew out today, so one of these times we leave the house, we are going to come back to chicks everywhere. We can put a lamp out and they will be fine.

 

[davsamommy]

We just made a coop for our 4 week old chicks. They were perching on the tote I had them in. The newspapers were dirty and torn up half way through the day. As we we making the coop yesterday they started jumping out of the tote and watching around the garage.

Last night at dusk they got really loud. I climbed in the coop and Ninja jumped on me and then snuggled into my arm. I figured out she was cold. I put another chick on my lap and she snuggled and quiet down too. So we got their light hooked up and they were all quiet and resting for the night.

I guess they still need their light. They only need feathers on their heads yet.

 

[skookumchuck]

I just moved the chicks outside into a small coop with the heat lamp, they are 3 weeks old just getting to smelly in the house they have lots of shavings on the ground and can get close to the heat lamp on a perch. My consern is it is going to get down to 25 tonight thay have been in the basement for the last week and it is only about 45-50 and they did ok. I hope this goes well would hate to loose any of them. I will probably cover the screened door just to cut any wind totaly. Most of the chicks are feathered out on the wings backs and legs so they should be ok.

 

[skookumchuck]

double posted sorry