Going outside.....

[Kassaundra]

Well I don't know if you want to hear my answer to that, but here goes. My chicks are 17 days old. I brooded them in the house, first 3 days they had heat light at about 93 degrees on the warm side of the brooder cool side was around 75, next 3 days or so heat light was moved up and warm side was about 85 cool side 70ish, at about one week old no heat in the day small wattage light at night, most of the sunny days spent outside, at about 2 weeks just a few days ago they went to a brooder still inside a structure buy outside of house (no heat light at all), still spending days in the enclosed covered run outside, this coming Monday they will be almost 3 weeks they are moving to the coop full time (my coop has an area in it for chicks so they are in the coop w/ the big girls but in their own section seperated by fence, w/ their own covered run) I also have a fake hen in the brooder which is about 10 or 15 feather dusters grouped together and suspended in the brooder for them to get under and snuggle w/ they (the chicks) generate tons of heat and all snuggled in the feathers they stay nice and toasty warm.

 

[centrarchid]

My brooder reared birds go out at five weeks into chicken tractors. They can handle temperatures down to freezing by that time with ease so long as they can stay dry and out of direct wind. Biggest concern I have with larger groups when they first go out is piling up to stay warm after dark. Larger groups are more than about three dozen.

 

[ocap]

mine are a little over 4 weeks old and the forecast tonight is 37 degrees so one more night with a heat lamp in the coop then off for good

 

[JLaw]

My first year with chickens I have three groups of chicks. 11 6-7 week olds, 11 3 week olds, and 3 4 week olds. Heat lamps off on all and the oldest have been out in coop since Wednesday. They would have been out sooner but was building coop still. I live in upstate ny about an hour south of buffalo. We had thunder storms last night and the out side chicks was roosting in the windows with high winds and about 40-50 degrees. Remember they have down coats even ones. Take this as you want that's just how I've done it so far and next week the 4 week olds go out with the big girls.

Jlaw

 

[beeksnfeet]

Thanks....Light's going off today! And I will be pushing DH to hurry along with the rest of the 'housing project' for the girls. Wish I had room in the garage for them, but working on a broken truck takes top priority right now. I think I'll miss them when they are finally outside, but I won't miss the dust. They are comical!

 

[beeksnfeet]

Well I don't know if you want to hear my answer to that, but here goes.  My chicks are 17 days old.  I brooded them in the house, first 3 days they had heat light at about 93 degrees on the warm side of the brooder cool side was around 75, next 3 days or so heat light was moved up and warm side was about 85 cool side 70ish, at about one week old no heat in the day small wattage light at night, most of the sunny days spent outside, at about 2 weeks just a few days ago they went to a brooder still inside a structure buy outside of house (no heat light at all), still spending days in the enclosed covered run outside, this coming Monday they will be almost 3 weeks they are moving to the coop full time (my coop has an area in it for chicks so they are in the coop w/ the big girls but in their own section seperated by fence, w/ their own covered run)  I also have a fake hen in the brooder which is about 10 or 15 feather dusters grouped together and suspended in the brooder for them to get under and snuggle w/ they (the chicks) generate tons of heat and all snuggled in the feathers they stay nice and toasty warm.

Yes, I do want to hear your answer!s!!! I am getting ready to move the light today. So many have responded with basicly the same opinion. I will be glad to have the darn light off, especially since we have had to keep them in a corner in the living room. The little brooder (rubbermade type container) we used in the begining was swapped out for a chicken wire type cabinet/crate with front doors my hubby made when they were 2 weeks old. I do clean them often (and the house.....due to them), but I want to move the furniture back to normal! Just waiting for the rain to stop to finish the run and then we will be good to go. Thanks again.

 

[beeksnfeet]

My first year with chickens I have three groups of chicks. 11 6-7 week olds, 11 3 week olds, and 3 4 week olds. Heat lamps off on all and the oldest have been out in coop since Wednesday. They would have been out sooner but was building coop still. I live in upstate ny about an hour south of buffalo. We had thunder storms last night and the out side chicks was roosting in the windows with high winds and about 40-50 degrees. Remember they have down coats even ones. Take this as you want that's just how I've done it so far and next week the 4 week olds go out with the big girls.

Jlaw

Our weather has been nasty this year with snow and just most recently, flooding and non stop rain. Heat lamp is going off today. Hubby will fix the truck soon, and then finish the run. We built the coop last summer, before we even ordered the chicks this past spring. Alittle ahead of our selves, but I'm glad we did.

 

[beeksnfeet]

mine are a little over 4 weeks old and the forecast tonight is 37 degrees so one more night with a heat lamp in the coop then off for good

Can't wait to get mine outside! I think they will be fine, just need to get all the fencing up on the run. Thanks!

 

[JLaw]

Our weather has been nasty this year with snow and just most recently, flooding and non stop rain. Heat lamp is going off today. Hubby will fix the truck soon, and then finish the run. We built the coop last summer, before we even ordered the chicks this past spring. Alittle ahead of our selves, but I'm glad we did.

yeah i did it backwords and top it off daughter had her heart surgery dureing my build time of the coop so it took for ever to build it. wish i built then bought oh well live and learn i guess.

 

[beeksnfeet]

My brooder reared birds go out at five weeks into chicken tractors.  They can handle temperatures down to freezing by that time with ease so long as they can stay dry and out of direct wind.  Biggest concern I have with larger groups when they first go out is piling up to stay warm after dark.  Larger groups are more than about three dozen. 

Thank you for the input. I have learned so much in such a small amount of time. Our girls will be situated behind a shed with privacy fencing on 2 sides, shed on one side and hardware cloth will enclose the inside of the whole thing, leaving the free side with full view and a door for us to get in. The wind is usually off the other side of the shed so they will be good there. If it will be super nasty during the winter we will just lay a tarp over the front if we need to. Oh...hardware cloth will go over the top too!