How much cold can a chick handle?

[Chick N Momma]

Along the same lines......
I thought it would be a great idea to incubate a few eggs, so I bought some. Two chicks hatched and are now 7 weeks old and fully feathered. They have been in my bathroom in a big plastic tub that is too small for them. I want them out in the coop. Will they be able to handle the cold? They have not been under any heat source in my house for almost a month and my house is rarely over 63 degrees. I'm in NY where it's down in the low 30's now at night and not much warmer during the day. My plan is to put them in a large dog crate with shavings. Feed them and water them during the day when I do the others and surround the crate with hay to help insulate them from the cold air. Will they be ok? I have MORE chicks inside that I will be dealing with over the next month or 2 at different stages (no, I didn't plan this well! LOL!). I like the idea of a huddle box? I could put one at the back of the dog crate with shavings and/or hay. Any other suggestions?

 

[lazy gardener]

In all instances with chicks that have been brooded in the house, they MUST be acclimated to outdoor temps. You can't simply move them from your home with fairly warm temps to a coop where the night time temps will dip down to freezing. It requires "thinking outside the box".

If they were brooded outside in the first place, they would already be acclimated.

Chicks in the home should be off all heat by 3 weeks of age.

You can acclimate them by blocking off a single room in your house, and leaving the window open 24/7.

Take them outside during the day. Increase this time a little bit every day till they are spending all day in a predator safe coop or run. When they handle this well, they are then ready for permanent residence in the coop/run.

MHP, huddle box, or wool hen can ease the transition. If you don't know these terms, simply do a forum search, and you will find plenty of information. This is a good way to research any topic on BYC! Enter the subject, and you will find more resources than you can read on any subject!

Be sure they have lots of bedding in their coop. Hay provides more insulation than shavings. Keep their coop dry. Damp bedding will actually make them colder.

 

[Chick N Momma]

In all instances with chicks that have been brooded in the house, they MUST be acclimated to outdoor temps. You can't simply move them from your home with fairly warm temps to a coop where the night time temps will dip down to freezing. It requires "thinking outside the box".

If they were brooded outside in the first place, they would already be acclimated.

Chicks in the home should be off all heat by 3 weeks of age.

You can acclimate them by blocking off a single room in your house, and leaving the window open 24/7.

Take them outside during the day. Increase this time a little bit every day till they are spending all day in a predator safe coop or run. When they handle this well, they are then ready for permanent residence in the coop/run.

MHP, huddle box, or wool hen can ease the transition. If you don't know these terms, simply do a forum search, and you will find plenty of information. This is a good way to research any topic on BYC! Enter the subject, and you will find more resources than you can read on any subject!

Be sure they have lots of bedding in their coop. Hay provides more insulation than shavings. Keep their coop dry. Damp bedding will actually make them colder.

THANKS!