How old till they can go in big coop?

I have always been told when they are about the same size as the older chickens.

 

This may offer you some ideas on how to handle the chicks when mama is doing the raising:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-5.html

 

I've only ever had my two chickens, and they went straight outside when we got them, they were two weeks old.

They were surprisingly able to scare off cats and other pigeons and stuff.

 

Quote:I'm not an expert on this, but here's my experience this year..

I had silver duckwing pheonix with 8 little chicks total.. After about a week I let them go out together to see if the roosters wanted to kill any while I was watching..

To my surprise they ran over and started scratching like momma. I also have the BR Turkeys and didn't know what they might do.. But the turkeys weren't interested in them either..

After about 1 week momma quit being momma..

The weather turned cold and rainy here so I put the 8 little chicks in the other side with a setting little red hen on 5 eggs.

After 2nd day, little red quit the eggs and started being their momma, which messed my hatch up, (I got them in the incubator now, but do not know if they were cold to long or not.)

But this is about a week now and the little red hen is still being momma and very protective ...

Hope this might give you some insight.. I'm sure there's different personalities in the different breeds..

 

HELP...its 38 degrees outside at 5:30am and i am sitting here wondering if I should bring my 5 wk old BR chicks in. It was 70-80 all week 40-50 at night but tonight it was another freak (semi) freeze. 3rd this year...the other times I actually brought them in but I am alone and can't pick up the cage. They are in a converted wire dog kennel 3X4 with chicken wire covering it. I have put sheets and a blanket over all of it but have gone out on porch 3 times to check on the little buggers....a drop light maybe? seems bright but it would be warm with a 60w bulb..hope I get a answer from you early birds...this forum is definetly addicting

My humble sorries if this is the wrong thread...just thought baby chicks to little to go into coop (only chicks no adults)

 

I don't know a whole lot, being new to this myself, but I would think that a drop light wouldn't hurt anything. As long as they could get away from the heat source if it became too much.

 

If they have a hen to watch them they should be fine, she'll protect them. give it a go and watch them really close- if she's not watching after them put them back in the brooder.

 

Quote:I too used an extra large converted dog carrier (plastic carrier kind) and since I was not as prepared as I should have been, I simply put an old lamp with a 60 watt bulb in one corner with wood blocks wedged against it to prevent tipping over. (I would not recommend this as a long-term solution, however, but it did work!) My chicks were left in my studio outside with a separate floor heater on that was able to bring the room temp up closer to 50. When they were close to 3 and 4 weeks old, and on days when the outside temp got closer to 65, I transferred them to a small outside wire cage and put them out in the sun and you would have thought they had gone to camp - they loved it. I had read in a post if you expose them to safe, but lower temps, it will help their feathers come in faster. I also used this time to hold each one for just a few seconds so they would become accustomed to me. You can calm them down while holding by making a nice shushing sound - they'll stop and listen. If you use a light bulb, you will eventually have to start turning it off for 25 mins or so every day, so that they don't freak out when they are left in the coop and night time comes.