Heat and Baby Chicks

[Kaylee Meisenheimer]

Okay, ya'll. This one is kind of random. But I've got a couple questions here. Firstly, I have three baby chicks and here in Missouri, it's really humid and today was a hot one. Today was about 85 degrees. Yesterday was about the same. So I let them out of the coop. Keep in mind, these chicks are just about five days old. Unfortunately, I lost two of them yesterday most likely due to my cat. They vanished without a trance and I spent all evening looking for them. But, it's hot today and I don't want my chicks to overheat and die. So, I need to know what I can do to help them stay cool without putting them in danger. I thought about somehow putting a fan in the coop, but I don't want them to get too cold. Can I have some advice please?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I think they’re fine. The ambient temp is lower than what they should be at for their age.

 

[nuthatched]

Mine are about two weeks old but have been in the coop without heat for about a week, they should be dandy at that temperature

 

[kattabelly]

What's the temperature inside the coop, at the spot they're in? Were they showing any signs of being too hot in the coop? A picture of the space they're in would be helpful.

When you say you let them out, were they in some kind of enclosed outdoor run or did you just set them fully loose to free-range wherever they want?

Letting them go outside at that age isn't an issue in itself, but they really don't know how to look after themselves yet. They can quite easily get lost or confused if the route back "home" isn't short, simple and in their line of sight. They need to know how to get to their food & water, warmer/cooler spots, potentially shelter from wind or rain if they're outdoors... Any hazards like steep drops or things they could fall/climb into and not be able to get out, need blocking off. The space they're in needs to be secure enough to stop them getting out and also stop any potential predators getting in - what that looks like will depend on what predators you have in your area, and also how closely you'll be able to supervise the chicks while they're out of the coop.