how old before they can go in the big coop?

[nsanywhere]

You'd think I know the answer to this one but.......

How old is old enough to put the new chicks in the big coop? Feathered out? 4 weeks? Depends on the weather?

What do you all do?

 

[luvmypyr]

I was "planning" on waiting till they were feathered out >8 weeks< .. But.. i couldn't take the dust anymore and had nowhere else to put them. they still looked mostly feathered at about 5 weeks. i gave them a heat lamp to get under if they were cold. that was 3 weeks ago .. they are all still happy chickies....I think as long as they have heat if they need it they will be fine ( unless its super duper cold then i'd wait, but its warming up)

And if you have big chickens you should keep them sepratated . We built a "mini coop" just some wood and chicken wire to keep the little ones safe from the big meanies.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Depends on a lot of things. The weather, especially your overnight lows. How draft-proof your coop is. Do you provide supplemental heat? How many are there. A few might get cold while a bunch can huddle for a little extra warmth. How predator proof is the coop? A rat, snake, or some weasels will kill chicks but will not harm a larger chicken. How well are they feathered out? Have you been lowering the temperature of the brooder so they get used to the cooler weather or keeping it really hot? Are there grown chickens in the coop that might kill young chicks?

I put my fully-enclosed brooder in the coop with a heat lamp and draft shield and keep them in the brooder until I think they do not need supplemental heat. With my first batch, that was at 4 weeks old in the middle of June. I then removed the brooder and left them locked in a pretty draft-proof at ground level coop for another month. I think they could have handled being in the run during the day, but my run is partially open on top and I was worried that they would have been very tempting targets for those hawks I have, being so small.

I'll do about the same thing again this year, but since I have adults in the coop now and I am a couple of months earlier in the year, I may wait a little longer to remove the supplemental heat or maybe leave the brooder with heat available to them with the brooder side door open a bit longer. My adults will go in tractors until the young ones are large enough to integrate.

Good luck!!!

 

[rainierlass]

I kicked mine out of the house @ 3 weeks - - they have had a 250 watt red heat lamp on them out in the coop - - temps have gone down as low as 35 at nite and they have been fine - - I close the pop door every nite and they are completely enclosed - - also I have no older chickens - they are now 8 weeks and I am totally in love!

 

[Montana-Hens]

As long as you can keep them warm and draft free they can go out. I know what you mean, about wanting them to go. I am in the mist of coop upgrade and I want my ladies outside. Unfortunately we are still subfreezing here, so until the coop upgrade is done the little ones are staying in the house.