Girls Moved to Coop Tonight! Please Tell Me If They Need Heat

[dbounds10]

My 6 girls are 7 weeks and 2 days old, have tons of feathers and have been living on my garage without a light for a few days now. Tonight it will be 55 for the low, do they need a heat light? Coop is 4x6 and I have it all closed up.

Thoughts??

 

[Judy]

I wouldn't, and I wouldn't close it up too tight.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

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Nope, they're fine at those temperatures at that age. I was a nervous Nellie the first night my girlz slept in the Big Girl Coop too. They'll sleep like babies. No worries.

 

[dbounds10]

Thanks!, I wanted to go get a baby monitor to set out there and my DH said uuummmmm, NO!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

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LOL! We have a "chick cam" out there, tell him you want one for Mother's Day!

 

[j0n]

My chickens are about 6 weeks old and I put them out in their new tractor last night. It got down to about 48. I was worried, but they're awake and happy now. I'm glad to have them out of the house finally!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

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Dusty little buggers, aren't they?!

 

[ninabeast]

My DF just bought a bunch of expensive computer equipment, housed in the lodge with our 15-day old chicks. "Um, honey?" he says this morning..."Would you please dust in here today?" Then we're going to cover everything. Wow, they make a lot of dust, don't they? Mine are all about trying out their wings these days, and that can't be helping...

Next time, I build a proper brooder for the barn...

 

[Ridgerunner]

At seven weeks of age in your weather conditions, not no how, not no way would I provide supplemental heat. You are likely to cook them or have an accident in that small a coop. They will need good ventilation. At that age and temperatures, I would not even worry about a draft too much, but it would probably be better to let them get acclimated before you open a window to keep them cool at night. They'll probably sleep on the floor and not on the roost anyway.

I put my brooder in the coop. At 4 to 5 weeks of age, I take the brooder out and let them go without supplemental heat in conditions similar to yours. They are fully feathered out and still sleep in a pile on the floor. I have not yet lost one doing it this way.

 

[j0n]

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Dusty little buggers, aren't they?!

Luckily they were in my girlfriend's spare room so it's her job to clean up the dusty chick aftermath