Help! Outdoor chickens

[stasiacr]

I really need some advice- I have been raising chickens indoors since september- they have full feathers and seem quite developed. The only thing is, I now have to get rid of them or move them outdoors. Does anyone know if they can handle going from 60* to 35* without dying? or going into shock?

 

[MuranoFarms]

Do you have a coop? If so, maybe you can give them a heat lamp for awhile. That should be plenty warm enough.

 

[jaboo81]

if you have a coop so they can get in a roost next to each other a night they should be fine.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
What Murano Farms said.

Your chickens are more than fully feathered and ready to go outside. They just need some adjustment from the inside temp (60) to the outside temp (35) for a while.

 

[evonne]

their coop doesn't have to be a "coop" either... anything you havethat can shield them from the weather and help keep their body heat in...

a larger rubbermaid tote can be set up for them.. cut a walk though door in it, and cut a whole in both ends just big enough to put an ald sprinklter pipe through for a foost...

mine all free range, and have since they were old enough to be outside... but when it started getting clsoe to freezing, i had a kids picnic table, and some plywood and bricks.. i stood the plywood up with various things to keep it vertical and then draped an old comforter between the two pieces and over the picnic table and i moved them all from their regular roost on the fence to under the table/tent and they were fine....

do the best you can... if you can putthem outside during the day and bring them in at night for a few days it's a nice beffer between the two temps too...

good luck

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Quote:
I was fascinated by this report. Very interesting.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

If you put them in a coop with a heat lamp they should be fine

 

[Keri78]

If your worried about it I would just let them out during the day and do the plastic rubbermaid tote at night for them to sleep. I've seen really large ones at Target for super cheap like $7-10. It won't be that much longer and spring will be here. Blessings, Keri