How cold is too cold for 9 week old baby chicks?

[luvmychikens65]

I have a 9 week old ameraucana and a 9 week old porcelain old english bantam that are getting too big for their brooder but the temps have been down in the teens at night. Is it too cold to put them out? Should I start putting them out for a little while during the day to get them used to it before leaving them all night?

 

[goldfinches]

Once chicks are feathered out, it is okay to put them out. However, you only have 2, and the teens are awfully cold. Do you have other birds? Could you start integrating them into the flock and put them in together soon?

 

[hdmax]

I have a 9 week old ameraucana and a 9 week old porcelain old english bantam that are getting too big for their brooder but the temps have been down in the teens at night. Is it too cold to put them out? Should I start putting them out for a little while during the day to get them used to it before leaving them all night?

They need to be acclimated to the cold weather somewhat slowly. If you have sunny days, even if it is cold (30's) let them out for a few hours each day, starting slowly then increasing the time they are out over a week or so.
Once you put them out, they need a draft free coop, with good ventilation. To do this, the vents should be up near the top (Above the nest, and roosting areas.) Keep straw or pine shavings on the floor to keep it dry.

If you will be placing them out with older chickens, watch them closely, as the older ones may kill them. (Placing them in something like a large dog cage inside the coop with the other chickens, or putting them in the coop in the late evening will help get them adjusted with eachother.)

The chickens can handle the cold as long as they have time to adjust to the cold, and they can stay dry, and out of any drafts.

Make sure they have water at all times, and do not allow it to freeze.

 

[luvmychikens65]

I can start integrating them any time now and will do so on the nice sunny days even if it's cold. There's only 2 other birds in that coop and they roost up high so I don't think the babies can reach up there just yet but there is a lower roost. How long should I take them out during the day to get used to the weather before leaving them. I've never raised babies before so I'm new to this.

 

[Hillschicks]

We hatched chicks november 11th .. Little over a month old.. They have been in a divided area of the coop outside for 8 days now and the temp hasnt gotten to 30 degrees at all yet.. They are fine.. Today had a high of 19..

My point is, people will tell you what you NEED to do.. What you need to do is trust your instincts.. We have hatched chicks multiple times and had plenty of day old chicks come thru.. We have never lost a chick for any reason including cold.. Some people hatch chicks and keep them 95 degrees for a week and go down 5 degrees a week... After a week we had our chicks off of heat and at 70 degrees with the rest of the house.. Once feathers started we gave them outside time on "nice" days.. At a month they were almost fully feathered and outside they went.. Everyday when we go out to let the big girls out, the little girls get run of the coop and they are just as excited to see us as the others.. 9 degrees when i went out this morning.. No chicks huddled together.. No chicks shivering.. Just walkin around happily pecking around their area.. They can handle cold just fine.. People keep chickens in alaska.. If theirs are ok, yours will be fine

 

[luvmychikens65]

Thank you so much for your reply. Really makes sense to me when I think about the climates that that are perpetually cold and still manage to raise healthy and happy chickens.

 

[france4862]

Chicks aren't as fragile as told I love raising fall winter chicks.

 

[jm1231]

We hatched chicks november 11th .. Little over a month old.. They have been in a divided area of the coop outside for 8 days now and the temp hasnt gotten to 30 degrees at all yet.. They are fine.. Today had a high of 19..

My point is, people will tell you what you NEED to do.. What you need to do is trust your instincts.. We have hatched chicks multiple times and had plenty of day old chicks come thru.. We have never lost a chick for any reason including cold.. Some people hatch chicks and keep them 95 degrees for a week and go down 5 degrees a week... After a week we had our chicks off of heat and at 70 degrees with the rest of the house.. Once feathers started we gave them outside time on "nice" days.. At a month they were almost fully feathered and outside they went.. Everyday when we go out to let the big girls out, the little girls get run of the coop and they are just as excited to see us as the others.. 9 degrees when i went out this morning.. No chicks huddled together.. No chicks shivering.. Just walkin around happily pecking around their area.. They can handle cold just fine.. People keep chickens in alaska.. If theirs are ok, yours will be fine

 

[jm1231]

We hatched chicks november 11th .. Little over a month old.. They have been in a divided area of the coop outside for 8 days now and the temp hasnt gotten to 30 degrees at all yet.. They are fine.. Today had a high of 19..

My point is, people will tell you what you NEED to do.. What you need to do is trust your instincts.. We have hatched chicks multiple times and had plenty of day old chicks come thru.. We have never lost a chick for any reason including cold.. Some people hatch chicks and keep them 95 degrees for a week and go down 5 degrees a week... After a week we had our chicks off of heat and at 70 degrees with the rest of the house.. Once feathers started we gave them outside time on "nice" days.. At a month they were almost fully feathered and outside they went.. Everyday when we go out to let the big girls out, the little girls get run of the coop and they are just as excited to see us as the others.. 9 degrees when i went out this morning.. No chicks huddled together.. No chicks shivering.. Just walkin around happily pecking around their area.. They can handle cold just fine.. People keep chickens in alaska.. If theirs are ok, yours will be fine

 

[jm1231]

Oh my goodness. Your reply has made me feel so so much better. I think Ive always kept my girls in too long lol inside my room at that lol. This is the first time I’ve had fall babies tho, always been spring so I’ve been nervous. Mine have a coop inside a large shed that’s used as my hen house. So I think they’re gonna be fine. They have shavings. I even filled socks w rice and heated them up got one of those heated chic pads and put I up on the side of the coop (the little one that’s inside the bigger one) soooo I think they’re fine. They’re all on top of each other tho. They’re 6 weeks old and I just neeed my room back lol I have been letting them go outside once a day for the last week prob. So y’all think they’ll be ok?