hello all

[lshrty]

Our first hatch went fairly well. Thanks to all of you that helped us through it!

We put 36 eggs in the bator...one got dropped so 35. Well when all was said and done we have 11 left and are healthly looking. They are two weeks old today. I was wondering when can they go outside? We have their pen all fixed up... but we had a vistor (rat) so we still have them in our garage in a water trough still.

Correct me if I am wrong. Every week we should be raising the heat lamp right... 5 degrees? So they should be at 85 right now?

We put one more batch of 18 eggs into the bator in order to end up with a good size flock (with roosters and ones that die). How long do I have to wait to introduce the 2 weekers.. (3 weeks when the little ones are born) and the newer ones?

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[silkiechicken]

Congrats on the hatch!

Just raise the lamp based on how the chicks act. If they huddle, lower it, if they are panting at the edges, raise it. I don't put a thermometer in there.

At just three weeks apart, you can probably put them together when the youngest are a week or two old if you have enough space.

When they can go outside depends on what housing you have and your temps. If you can heat a brooder, they can go out as soon as they hatch. If you do not plan on supplementing heat at all, it's when they are feathered or when the out door temps are about your indoor temps.

I brood outside, remove heat at 6-7 weeks even if it is 45F at night because the brooder coop is cozy. Every situation is different though so just go off how the birds are acting.

 

[Quyen Le]

My chicks went outside with no heat lamp at 2 week old in Oregon weather, they are healthy and strong.