Hot Florida temps, can chicks be outside?

[PeaShack]

The soft sided pen make so much more sense. I never thought of it and if I saw photos I probably didn't need one so the idea didn't land. I ordered one last night and it will come well before the chicks. I Hope it has a semi-solid bottom so I can just pick it up and take them out for some sun.
I haven't hatched chicks since only I want females but it must be so rewarding. When you put them in the bin for the first few days they don't get light other than the lamp? How many days? Do you have any pets at home?

I actually have a smaller soft crate that fit on a square coffee table perfectly that was in front of that window. The peas grew so big so fast that I end up having the hubby cut some plywood so I could place the pictured larger soft crate on the table in front of that same window. Worked out well, but I still gave them extra light bulb light during the day. Heat is from only the heat plates (all inexpensive on Amazon, and have worked well for warming all my little chicks).


The bottom of the soft crate is nylon fabric so once set up, would be more difficult to move in&out with chicks inside without taking heavier items out first. Though…you could put your own 1/4” plywood or cardboard base inside to make it stiffer and easier to move…

For chicken chicks we went straight from this crate to an outside pen at 6 weeks (made of just dog kenneling panels and large hard dog crate for nights) where they were protected but still able to see and interact with the existing flock until fully integrated at 3 months. I only have had a few chicks at a time, nothing large scale. We found the large hard dog crate out for large trash by a neighbor…once we were done with it, put it on the curb and someone else took it before it was picked up by large trash. If only that dog crate could speak of all it has done!

We do have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Nowadays, they don’t care and don’t bother indoor chicks. However, in the past I did place the dog kenneling panels around the soft crate to keep the dogs away (mostly keeping the chihuahua from marking it). We have had rescue parrots for so long, our other pets are accustomed to birds. I’ve attached a pic of the dog kennel panels. These are so useful for all types of pets.

Good luck!

 

[leslielbk]

I actually have a smaller soft crate that fit on a square coffee table perfectly that was in front of that window. The peas grew so big so fast that I end up having the hubby cut some plywood so I could place the pictured larger soft crate on the table in front of that same window. Worked out well, but I still gave them extra light bulb light during the day. Heat is from only the heat plates (all inexpensive on Amazon, and have worked well for warming all my little chicks).


The bottom of the soft crate is nylon fabric so once set up, would be more difficult to move in&out with chicks inside without taking heavier items out first. Though…you could put your own 1/4” plywood or cardboard base inside to make it stiffer and easier to move…

For chicken chicks we went straight from this crate to an outside pen at 6 weeks (made of just dog kenneling panels and large hard dog crate for nights) where they were protected but still able to see and interact with the existing flock until fully integrated at 3 months. I only have had a few chicks at a time, nothing large scale. We found the large hard dog crate out for large trash by a neighbor…once we were done with it, put it on the curb and someone else took it before it was picked up by large trash. If only that dog crate could speak of all it has done!

We do have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Nowadays, they don’t care and don’t bother indoor chicks. However, in the past I did place the dog kenneling panels around the soft crate to keep the dogs away (mostly keeping the chihuahua from marking it). We have had rescue parrots for so long, our other pets are accustomed to birds. I’ve attached a pic of the dog kennel panels. These are so useful for all types of pets.

Good luck!





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Hi again! I'm sorry to pester with so many questions. I bought the soft crate just like yours and The top zips off. Do you leave yours off or on? And funny enough I do have the exact dog pen you show in the photo. I thought I would do exactly as you said and put the soft pen inside to keep the cat away. She loves that soft pen and I don't even have any chicks yet I know she'll be a problem.
I'm in West Central Florida where it's hotter than the blazes. Every batch of chicks I've had, spend about 4 weeks in the house until I can't take it anymore and out into the coop they go. I control their access to outside space until they're big enough not to get picked off by hawks. Foxes are another matter. This has worked well for me so far but I want to do it better and better every time. The advice you've given me is a game changer and I thank you.

 

[atomic]

Off topic but whereabouts are you? I also live in west central Florida, Homosassa.

 

[PeaShack]

Hi again! I'm sorry to pester with so many questions. I bought the soft crate just like yours and The top zips off. Do you leave yours off or on? And funny enough I do have the exact dog pen you show in the photo. I thought I would do exactly as you said and put the soft pen inside to keep the cat away. She loves that soft pen and I don't even have any chicks yet I know she'll be a problem.
I'm in West Central Florida where it's hotter than the blazes. Every batch of chicks I've had, spend about 4 weeks in the house until I can't take it anymore and out into the coop they go. I control their access to outside space until they're big enough not to get picked off by hawks. Foxes are another matter. This has worked well for me so far but I want to do it better and better every time. The advice you've given me is a game changer and I thank you.

I leave the top zipped so chicks can’t fly out and kitties can’t jump in .

Even though I’ve been in Texas for a while now I was born and raised in Florida…went to UF, lived in Gainesville for 8 years during Steve Spurrier’s reign. Very similar weather here in East Texas!

I’m like you, keep in house for 4 to 6 weeks, till I can’t stand it anymore then out they go. I do a soft method with field trips outside for a few hours at first, then a couple days outside and nights inside, then outside all the way. No issues with heat stress so far.

I am so glad the soft crate method worked for you, thank you for letting me know!

 

[leslielbk]

Off topic but whereabouts are you? I also live in west central Florida, Homosassa.

I'm just south of Tampa in Ruskin. Are you keeping chickens up there?

 

[atomic]

I'm just south of Tampa in Ruskin. Are you keeping chickens up there?

Yes! I have eight total. This is the current chicken math. I started off with four, lost one then I went to a farm swap and picked out five more. Four ended up being cockerels (!!!) that I successfully rehomed. THEN I tried my hand at hatching, the incubator I bought was a dud. Two out of a dozen eggs hatched and one chick died four days later for no apparent reason and the other a week and a half in. His name was Penguin, I didn’t want him to be alone so I went to rural king and got four more. He never cared for them and ended up passing. So now I am at 8.

 

[leslielbk]

I named a rooster chick penguin too! He looked like a little penguin. I don't like having roosters because they really don't protect the hens, they're just the first ones to get killed. My flocks have always been calmer once the roosters are gone...they can be pretty rough. So I'm mostly ready, and I'm looking forward to the babies but I'm not looking forward to having to keep the cat away.