Help with baby chicks please..

[Enslaved-by-Ducks]

Hi everyone..I have 6 1-week old chicks. I have them inside in a large box and they are very cute but I want to put them in the chicken coop since the weather is so nice still. I have put together a enclosure for them so no other chickens will bother them or can get to them. They will be surrounded by other hens and ducks but cannot get out to get in trouble. I'm worried about snakes...I haven't seen any but I wonder if the chicks are safe outside all though they are surrounded by other poultry. The pen I made has wire around it and has a sheet of plywood on top to keep the other hens out. I'm worried if I leave them out tonight, could a snake get to them and kill them ? I'm sure a snake could get in the coop because they crawl through the poultry wire and get to the eggs. Like I said, I haven't seen any activity but can snakes smell a week old chick and can a snake eat a week old chick ??? Help me make a decision please. Thanks..

 

[chickengrandma]

1 week old chicks are to young to go out in the coop. I would recommend keeping them in, by you, until at least 6 weeks. Do you have a light on them? You should?

They need some form of momma at this point - you and a light or a really chicken momma.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

yikes snake and rat food both, snakes can and will snack on them, at that age even a small snake will eat them all in a single serving
maybe I should ask - what kind of wire, if it's rat wire, then ok, but if there are any gaps, or even the smallest of slither spaces you are just asking for chicken nuggets in a box! I kept my orphans in a pet carry case in the house at night, then I could enjoy them without going outside in am, they like tv,

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Quote:
At one week of age, they should be kept at 90-95 degrees. If you are that warm in the daytime, you can let them enjoy some sunshine (supervised), but I agree, with the above quote, they need to be in the brooder for a while longer, especially at night. Too cold.

Yes, snakes will eat chicks that age like candy. So will cats and roadrunners.

 

[Enslaved-by-Ducks]

Thanks folks. Yes I have a infra red light on them at night with a partial cover so they can have some shade. They spent the day out side in the coop and had a ball. digging holes in the dirt and running and jumping..was so cute. I moved them inside and they are back in their small pool and sleeping well. I was just thinking that with my other chicks, they had mama to keep them warm and safe. These hens have no mama and I also thought about putting one of my broody hens with them and then decided not to . They are too small to be out there i agree. so in at about 5 more weeks I will transfer them to the coop. I do want to let them stay outdoors as long as the weather is still around 90 during the day. Supervised of course

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Great decision!!

 

[hudsonhousechicks]

We get our chicks out early, at just a few weeks old. We haven't had a problem with snakes, though the hens have caught one and torn it to shreds. We've just been lucky. There are a lot of folks here who've lost their birds to snakes.