How long do chickens need to stay in brooder?

[Brystal]

Hi this is my first time raising chickens and idk if they are fully feathered. It is spring now and we just had a huge snow in Keyser WV. I was just wondering how warm it has to be outside for them?

 

[NatJ]

Hi this is my first time raising chickens and idk if they are fully feathered. It is spring now and we just had a huge snow in Keyser WV. I was just wondering how warm it has to be outside for them?

It works better if you start your own thread, instead of adding to an old thread.

Fully feathered is when they have feathers all over, and look like chickens instead of looking like fuzzy baby chicks.

How warm depends on their age. As they get older, they can tolerate cooler conditions.

 

[Brystal]

It works better if you start your own thread, instead of adding to an old thread.

Fully feathered is when they have feathers all over, and look like chickens instead of looking like fuzzy baby chicks.

How warm depends on their age. As they get older, they can tolerate cooler conditions.

Ok thank you, I bough them on st. Patrick’s Day and they were three days old then. So they are about 5 weeks. And it is currently 40 degrees where I live. Also the way you described fully feathered is how my chickens are now. Do you think the weather is good for them now?

 

[NatJ]

Ok thank you, I bough them on st. Patrick’s Day and they were three days old then. So they are about 5 weeks. And it is currently 40 degrees where I live. Also the way you described fully feathered is how my chickens are now. Do you think the weather is good for them now?

That would partly depend on what temperature the chicks are used to right now, and what kind of coop they will be living in outdoors. The number of chicks also makes a difference, because they will snuggle together for warmth (more chicks make more warmth.)

If the coop protects them from wind and weather, and they are already living below 70 degrees, and there are at least 4 of them, you can probably put them out and leave them there.

If they are in a brooder at 90 degrees, you should take away their heat source and wait a few days or a week for them to adjust before you move them outside.

If the outdoor coop lets wind go whistling through, you should add some kind of a windbreak.

One common way to help chicks get used to cooler temperatures: put them outside for the day, then bring them in again at night, for a week or so.

 

[NatJ]

...in Keyser WV....

...it is currently 40 degrees where I live....

I just looked up the weather forecast for your area, and it's predicted to get quite a bit warmer over the next few days.

Considering what I see on the weather prediction, I would probably put the chicks out when the temperature will be over 50 (day), but bring them in at night until the nights are predicted to be over 50. After they have been outside for a few days, it will not matter if the temperatures go lower than that, because the chicks will have had enough time to adjust.

 

[Brystal]

That would partly depend on what temperature the chicks are used to right now, and what kind of coop they will be living in outdoors. The number of chicks also makes a difference, because they will snuggle together for warmth (more chicks make more warmth.)

If the coop protects them from wind and weather, and they are already living below 70 degrees, and there are at least 4 of them, you can probably put them out and leave them there.

If they are in a brooder at 90 degrees, you should take away their heat source and wait a few days or a week for them to adjust before you move them outside.

If the outdoor coop lets wind go whistling through, you should add some kind of a windbreak.

One common way to help chicks get used to cooler temperatures: put them outside for the day, then bring them in again at night, for a week or so.

Ok! You were very helpful! Thank you so much!