How old?

[orpingFun]

How old does a chick need to be when they're moved outside to the coop? How old are they when they're finished molting?

 

[gander007]

Alright

great to have you joining the BYC flock

BYC has a very useful learning center

Normally I start introducing chicks to the great outdoors
at around three week and by week five to six there in a
grow out coop .....


Chickens tend to molt every year ....

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

It depends on a few things....they do need to be fully feathered to withstand cold, wind and damp conditions. So usually that is about 6 weeks of age. Sometimes if your climate is warm enough, you can get them out at 5 weeks and use a heat lamp on them at night only, especially if your night time temps are still getting into the 40's or so. After 6 weeks of age, they no longer will need any heat. Before this, they can still chill if not fully feathered.

Enjoy your chicks and welcome to our flock!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! X2 what TwoCrows said, it depends on the temperature they need and the temperature you can give them in the coop. Here is a nice article on molting, but chicks go through four molts, quoting the article "Generally complete moulting occurs from 1-6 weeks and partial moulting at 7-9 weeks, 12-16 weeks and 20-22 weeks, and during this latter moult the stiff tail feathers are grown." http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/217/moulting-a-natural-process