Heatlamp Q/Moving chicks to coop overnight

[anniem]

So I know the general rule of lowering the wattage and/or moving the lamp farther away to get them used to dealing the temps...but i've been kinda overwhelmed with my intro to chicks. They were in the laundry room but the washer was too noisy, then the extra bathroom upstairs (and from a small brooder bin to a bigger one) but there aren't any windows in there so they went to the spare bedroom near the window so I could get them some sunlight and fresh air....and the lamp placement changed with each of these situations--depending what I had to attach it to. It's been the red 250 watt all along. And they never acted too hot or too cold, all they seemed to feather in as they should.
They are now 8 weeks old and have been in an uninsulated garage for a couple of weeks, in a dog crate/cage. I put some boards around the base but that's only 6-8" up and they seem to be sleeping on the roost often (about 10" up). The crate is close to 3' tall, the light was hanging inside for the first while and has been sitting on top at about a 45 degree angle for almost a week (it has those guard pieces and that keeps it from laying flat).
It's been in the 40's overnight usually, the days have been all over the place--50s to 70s. I've been leaving the light off during the day for at least a week and they've spent most of their days outside for the last couple of weeks (in for hard rain and hail, and a particularly windy day).
I'm wondering if a garage with a bit of heat is pretty comparable to a smallish coop without any heat? Should I keep them under a low watt light for a week (or so?) before the final move? I'd rather avoid an extension cord all the way across our yard, but it's doable if that's the best option.
Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks!
Ann

 

[Tala]

Just how many 8 week olds are you keeping in a dog crate????

They should be fully feathered by 6 weeks, and I'd only be worried about 8 week olds at night if the temps dropped to say 20*F which it's not. They should be out running around outside in balmy 50 degree weather!!!!!

 

[anniem]

There are 6, and it's a big crate! I had fenced off any area outside and they've spent most of their days out there, but they do need to be out of this thing.

The weather was particularly bad/wet the last couple of months (even for Oregon!) so we had to keep putting off the coop build, then my dear dear husband starting deciding that certain parts of the coop plan were "overkill" and to just vaguely follow the pictures from the coop plan.

Then he went out of town....so now I have a handyman coming to fix and finish it.
Anyway....it sounds like I can just turn the light off now while they're in the garage and then be able to put them in the coop in a few days when it's done.
Thanks!

 

[fiddleblue]

Yes I think by 8 weeks they are fine without any heat. Particularly if they have others to cuddle with!