How do I have my chicks adjust to being outside

[DragsDucks]

Hey everyone! Our chicks are feathering beautifully. We have had them in the brooder and was wondering how I should go about putting them in the coop. We live in south west Michigan and he weather can be a little tricky. One day it's 80 the next 40 and rain. I don't want my poor chicks to be cold and possibly get sick, but I also want to get them use to being in the coop and outside. Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated

 

[BYC910]

Hey everyone! Our chicks are feathering beautifully. We have had them in the brooder and was wondering how I should go about putting them in the coop. We live in south west Michigan and he weather can be a little tricky. One day it's 80 the next 40 and rain. I don't want my poor chicks to be cold and possibly get sick, but I also want to get them use to being in the coop and outside. Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated

Have you done the five degree weekly reduction in your brooder temperatures ? If so when the brooder temperature is close to outside air temperature just put them out . If fully feathered they can stand above freezing cold . I start turning the heat off at two to three weeks early morning and then back on at night . I have six week old chicks out in the coop without heat now night temps have gone down to fifty a couple of times . Their fine .

 

[Mrs. K]

Pick a nice day, and just put them out. The swinging temperature won't bother them nearly as much as the new place. They may huddle together, you might think they are cold, but they are just nervous about a new place. Just sit quietly and let them explore at their own pace. It is fun to watch them.

Then have a box laid over on its side, or if your brooder will work, you can use that. But any box will work, a cardboard one, maybe put a little bedding in it that they are familiar with, and they will naturally gather themselves up and be in the box. Then you can carry it back to the brooder for a few nights. Let them out in the day, back at night. Make sure there is a bit of shade, and a wind break outside, and they will be fine, and actually it is much more healthier for them in more space.

The last night, put the box with chicks in the coop, but leave it on the side, so they can get outside in the morning. If they don't return to the coop at dark, just take out the box, they will get in with just a little time, and you can put it back in the coop. I did my last batch like this, and the third night I was late getting home, wondering what I was going to do, and they were all in the coop, happy as larks.

At your birds ages, they are way beyond having heating needs. My chicks were outside in 32 degrees at 3 weeks. Temperature is really the least of the problems, space and fresh air will do more for keeping chicks healthy.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

Chick Heat

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate


Huddle Box
Make them a 'huddle box', put it in the brooder after turning off the heat(you might have to 'persuade' them to use it) then move it out to the coop with them.
Cardboard box with a bottom a little bigger than what they need to cuddle next to each other without piling and tall enough for them to stand in.
Cut an opening on one side a couple inches from bottom and big enough for 2-3 of them to go thru at once.
Fill the bottom with some pine shavings an inch or so deep.
This will give them a cozy place to sleep/rest, block any drafts and help hold their body heat in.


Proabbly don't need all that.

 

[FlyWheel]

Are you trying to introduce them to an existing flock? What I did was to use an extra large doggie cage. I put a roost at one end and a 'roof' over it (mainly so the adults don't poop on them from above). Add a small feeder, waterer and perhaps make an area that they can 'hide' in until they get used to the presence of the older birds. They will be protected from them by the cage itself.

If they are not feathered out then I wouldn't put them outside just yet, if they are feathered then they should be OK unless the temps get down REAL low, like below freezing. If they have a coop then rain is a non issue as they will have shelter from it. If you're still worried and you have a way to get electricity into their coop then you could add an MHP so they have something warm to cuddle under.

 

[DragsDucks]

Thank you all so much for the advice! I'll post pictures of their progress and adventures outside