How cold is too cold?

[Dance_in_Fire]

I have 3 chicks that hatched around christmas. I live in the south and we had a spurt of warm weather and i moved the chicks outside and have been out constantly.
They have all their adult feathers.
It supposed to get down into the mid to high 30s they arent roosting yet with the adults there are shavings on one corner of the coop and they sleep there. Should i bring them in on those nights or they will be okay? The coop is open air except for roof and two sides.

 

[Acre4Me]

They are 6 weeks approximately, fully-feathered and acclimated to the outside, so they should be fine!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How long ago did you move them outside?

 

[Mrs. K]

Mid thirties they should be fine. If you got long periods, say 3-5 days of -20, then I might get concerned. But just overnight, in a shelter, I think they will be good.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I think they'll be fine at those temps.

 

[Blooie]

I think they’ll be fine too. Remember that chickens don’t like change. Bringing them in, then putting them out....repeat the next cold snap, and the next all winter is confusing and stressful. And sometimes (not always but often enough to make it worth mentioning) even after just one night away from the coop, chicks that are fully feathered can look like intruders when they go back out and the peace that was established before between them and the older flock members could be in jeopardy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If that was last night, tell us how they did. If that is tonight and they are sleeping in the corner made by your two solid walls I would not worry. Even if they are sleeping in a corner with one wire wall they should be OK but you might want to put up a wind block on that wire side as an extra precaution. It wouldn't take much, they sleep pretty low.

I'm thinking as much predator protection as wind protection. if they are sleeping next to wire with openings big enough a raccoon could reach a paw through you might want to block that where they are sleeping.

I still think they will be OK from the cold. I've had chicks a week younger than yours go through nights in the mid 20's without problems. My chicks had good wind protection and great ventilation. The whole top of that grow-out coop was wire with a rain guard a little higher up.

 

[Matilda Belle]

30 is nothing. It's -17 in my coop this morning and everyone's fine (or as fine as can be). I too have young ones out there that are probably 3-4 months old.

 

[Dance_in_Fire]

They have been in and out since they were about 2 or 3 weeks old. Before they were in a kennel during the day so they could see the adults but were also protected from them. At night they would come into the garage. Cuz it got cold enough that i had concerns. In the last week or so i moved them out loose with the adults and they have acclimate to living with the adults okay. The youngest adult picks on them but they are okay otherwise. The location of their sleeping area isnt accessable by grabby raccoon hands. I will make the shavings a little deeper but i will leave them out. Thanks guys!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I agree they'll be fine. My question is, how will YOU do, lol?