How do I acclimate my pullets to outdoors now before putting in coop permanently?

[Robert Kazlauski]

My four hens have been indoors since birth. They are 17 weeks old. I finally got a coop and it is assembled. The temp outside has been in 30s and 40s, but the hens have not been out yet. Since tomorrow and the next week will be in the fifties, I thought it would be a great time to take them out. How do I do it? How many days do I take the out? For how long of a period each day before bring them back in? I have 2 dog crates. Use them to put in yard to acclimate to weather?? Or put hens in coop for a while?

If I should put them in the coop, should I put my one dominant hen in the coop last, and have the three docile ones in the coop for a while to get
established and feel at home? I would like to break her of her
aggressiveness and domineering ways.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm amazed you tolerated them indoors for 17 weeks! How warm is it indoors? I'd just throw them out, quite honestly, they should have no trouble adjusting unless the inside of your house is unreasonably hot.

 

[tlcmurphy]

I’d also put them all in the coop now. Mine went out at about 6 weeks in temps about 50 degrees. I also kept them confined in the coop for a week or two (with food and water) before I let them out in the run so that they’d know their “home”.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Oh and the one dominant hen will remain that way, mine was dominant at a week old and is still the boss at 3 years old.

 

[NatJ]

My four hens have been indoors since birth. They are 17 weeks old. I finally got a coop and it is assembled. The temp outside has been in 30s and 40s, but the hens have not been out yet. Since tomorrow and the next week will be in the fifties, I thought it would be a great time to take them out. How do I do it? How many days do I take the out? For how long of a period each day before bring them back in? I have 2 dog crates. Use them to put in yard to acclimate to weather?? Or put hens in coop for a while?

Are you expecting 50s in the day or at night?

Pullets of that age should be able to handle a switch from house temperature (about 70 degrees) down to 50 degrees with no preparation at all-- just move them out to the coop and leave them there.

If the 50s are daytime temperatures and the nights are colder, they will probably still be fine, but you could choose to take them out each morning and bring them inside each evening for a few days or a week. They probably do not need it, but it should not hurt them either and might make you feel better.

I would put them in the coop, not the yard, and leave them shut in the coop for several days so they get used to living there. After a few days, open the door to let them come out of the coop and explore the yard, but check each evening to be sure they have gone back to sleep inside the coop. If the weather gets really nasty (heavy wind or rain), check to make sure that they have gone into the coop. Since they are used to the stable conditions indoors, they may take a little while to figure out that indoors (coop) vs. out (yard) makes a difference in how comfortable they are.

 

[MamaPoult]

You could also put them out for a hour one day then just keep upping their time outside until they are fully acclimated.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You could also put them out for a hour one day then just keep upping their time outside until they are fully acclimated.

I would definitely recommend this if the birds were much younger or the temperatures outside were colder, but at 17 weeks plus they should be out sooner rather than later.

 

[Tumbleweedlynn]

I had two hens raising a couple babies in the middle of December (I’m in NM) in their coop and run, so they hatched and grew up outside in the middle of our winter.

They are all healthy and beautiful - mama is the perfect heating blanket

 

[Mrs. K]

I am with the get them out there, chickens NEED fresh air and sunshine more than warm temperatures. They do not grow thicker feathers like mammal grow thicker winter coats, they just adjust how they hold the feathers. Cold weather they puff up, warm weather they slick down, hot weather, they hold their wings out.

They have no need at all to acclimate to 50 degrees.

Mrs K

 

[Penpal]

Don't feed them in the morning. Put their food and water in the coop, then their bodies in the coop. Close the coop door when the settle for the night. If they are settling out of the coop, just pick them up and put each on the roost. Close door until morning. Move the food and water out of the coop when they are putting themselves in at night.