I know they have to stay in till they are fully feathered. I have ducklings coming in the beginning of June and I am hoping they will be out by then. Do all breeds mature at different rates? I have a group of 2 week old bantams and a group of 1 week old standard all living together. I was hoping they could all go out together. Thanks
Most chickens are pretty well feathered by the age of 7 weeks, and before that you can start putting them outside in a cage or run for short periods each day to get them used to going out. You should have plenty of time to get them out by June.
Technically, as long as you have the right living conditions that has some source of heat, the chicks are ready to go outside in an outdoor brooder at about a week old, well, at least that's what I do. As far as your ducklings are concerned, the chicks will definitely be ready to go outside by then. For the two different breed question, yes they can all go outside together, as long as the age difference is low. Here is some of my chicks that are already outside: My chicks outside. My mallard who lives with the chicks. (These photos were only taken a day or two ago) I keep them outside in this. It provides good shelter even in the winter
Yup, as long as the environment is correct, correct warmth and fairly draft free, the "where" of the brooder is irrelevant. Brooding is done in coops, barns, sheds and outbuildings.
Oh yeah, they'll be done long before June! My slowest-feathering pullet was off heat at 6 weeks but I put the brooder outdoors (yes, from day 1!) and I believe they feather more quickly outside. They also often sleep in a little chick raft rather than roosting for the first few weeks in their new coop and that helps them keep warm. If it's really cold where you are, transitioning gradually with moving them to an attached garage or putting heat temporarily in the coop can help harden them off.
