Going outside.....

[beeksnfeet]

Beeksnfeet I have 12 hens, and they are around 9 weeks old maybe 10.

If they do get cold, they have plenty of "fluff" between the 12 of them!! I have 5, 3 Buff Orpingtons and 2 white Plymouth Rock. They seem to like to lay by each other. Evey once in a while, one will get up and wonder to the other side of the housing project, so I think if they were cold, they would huddle. Also, they will be inside right? I have been told by several that they are much hardier then we think.

 

[rookiefarmers]

By 9 weeks old they are FINE. As long they are away from drafts.

 

[rookiefarmers]

By 9 weeks old they are FINE. As long they are away from drafts.

 

[donrae]

I was just nervous about posting my answer sense everyone before me had posted such long times under lights and cautious exposure to outside. My first batch of chicks I was soooooo overyly cautious about everything and that it be done "by the book" (all the stuff I had read about dropping temps by 5 degrees per week for 5 weeks, only feeding medicated chick start, etc.....I even wouldn't pick them up for weeks to hold or look at them for fear they would "freeze to death" in my hands before I could get them back under the light) then I had a broody mom chicken and watched her w/ her chicks, that was eye opening for me.

My fondest wish is everyone who broods chicks could watch a broody hen first. That would put an end to the too warm/endless light so many folks get talked into. Momma raised chicks are feathered out faster and just tougher! I think keeping lights and heat keeps the chicks from feathering out as fast, that makes folks think they need to be under the lamp longer...it's a viscous cycle!

 

[beeksnfeet]

My fondest wish is everyone who broods chicks could watch a broody hen first. That would put an end to the too warm/endless light so many folks get talked into. Momma raised chicks are feathered out faster and just tougher! I think keeping lights and heat keeps the chicks from feathering out as fast, that makes folks think they need to be under the lamp longer...it's a viscous cycle!

The light has been out all day now, and I'm getting ready for bed myself, so we will see how things go overnite! They seem to be much calmer without the light. Hubby made new feeders from PVC and now they have more room to roam without the feeding dish and water dish on the floor. Thanks!

 

[beeksnfeet]

By 9 weeks old they are FINE. As long they are away from drafts.

Yup. Turned off the light this morning and they are all just fine! Seem calmer too!

 

[JLaw]

By 9 weeks old they are FINE. As long they are away from drafts.

Screw drafts my chicks are roosting in window at 6-7 weeks old. temp out side is 45ish at night winds 7-18 mph winds right now 47 and winds up to 23 mph and they are in the windows roosting. people on the forms here have chickens roosting in trees year round in NY. I'm starting to think drafts are over rated as long as they are dry.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Your chickens are old enough to be feathered out and it isn't -20 out, either. Drafts are a bigger problem with young chicks or for adults in well below freezing weather. Especially in adults that have large combs. That's when drafts are more of an issue, as it adds a wind chill to the already frigid temperatures. It's hard on exposed skin and ruffles feathers to let body heat escape. That's when I find my chickens seeking out the more sheltered parts of the coop.

 

[rookiefarmers]

I meant inescapable drafts. Some of my girls LOVE the wind thru their feathers and some run for cover at the slightest rustle. I think the best solution is almost always more options, more space and more leeway.