Having second thoughts about putting chicks outside

[nbenevento]

Should I go out and bring them in? I have 10 five week old chicks that have been living in my house. They stink (even though I change their pine shavings every other day), they are noisy, and there is so much dust it is all driving my wife and I crazy. Don't get me wrong, I love these birds but I just don't want to live with them in my house if I don't have to. It was 50+ degrees out today but it will drop to the low 30's tonight. All 10 are together in a closed up 4 x 4 coop with one small vent opening at the top. I closed off the door to the run with a piece of wood and I have a heat lamp in the coops shing down on them. So...will they be ok or do I need to go out there and get them? Please help and hurry!

 

[Coralietg]

4-5 weeks is about my limit with chickies indoors too. Are they all fully feathered? Can predators get in?

As long as they have a heat lamp, they should be good.

 

[nbenevento]

Fully feathered? I think they are fully feathered or at least pretty close to it. They are very secure in the coop and there is a heat lamp too. I am also hoping that with the lamp and 10 of them together, they will be ok. I guess maybe I am experiencing "empty nest syndrome"! Lol

 

[Coralietg]

I always worry when chicks go outside. We're slightly warmer here, but I have seven 5-8 week olds outside. I also have 1 week old brooding in the house, that will be rotated outside when more chicks arrive at the end of the month, lol.

I'm sure I'll be itching to have my house back soon!

 

[SD Bird Lady]

They will be fine. Mine went outside at 5 weeks and it dipped to 12F the first 3 nights. They huddled but are all alive & well and now 9 weeks old.

 

[kynewbchickie]

I don't have electric run to the barn/coop here yet, so I'm opting to wait another week to turn ours out. That, and I've got to finish fencing in their pasture. I DO plan to take them out today in an enclosure so they can get their first taste of the outdoors - grass, dirt, fresh air - so I can clean up all that dust in my basement! It's EVERYwhere. LOL

 

[Kilsharion]

With a lamp out there, they will be perfectly fine.

 

[nbenevento]

Thanks everyone! As it turns out, they were just fine. Well at least they seem to be when I went out this morning. Not one of them said anything about it.

 

[kynewbchickie]

I took my more socialized roo and girl out to bask in the sunlight for the first time today - the rest of the bunch were too busy running from us and we didn't want to scare them further. The two we took out absolutely LOVED it. Took them a few minutes of getting "used" to the new smells, wind, grass instead of bedding under their feet, barking neighbor dogs etc. - but they fluffed right up and walked around a bit, and my son even found a worm as a treat. We also finished the coop today - all we need to do now is fence their pasture, and they'll be out by a week from tomorrow (they'll be 6 weeks old). I can't wait!