How to determine age of chicks?

[Mcse4u]

My six chicks are growing fast and the brooder is starting to get crowded. I am considering moving them to their permanent home in a week or two, but I cannot really tell if they will be five or six weeks old by then. They seem to be mostly feathered out, but still tend to sleep under the lamp warmer. I was planning on moving the lamp into the new coop anyway.
I guess my question is really is there any danger to moving them out too soon? The weather here in Upstate NY is still fluctuating between 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit at night and lots of rain. I'd like to hear some different opinions on keeping them in the brooder coop where space is getting a little snug, compared to moving them outside. Thanks!

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! My chicks moved to a section of the coop, with heat lamp, at three weeks of age. Yours will be fine! Mary

 

[azygous]

By all means move them outside. Those temperatures are not considered cold as far as chicks who are mostly feathered out.

All you need to do is acclimatize them by letting them spend time outdoors during the day, increasing the amount of time each day. Lower or turn off the heat at night, and after a few nights of no heat, they should be ready to move into the coop.

 

[pokercatv]

What I did was I had them in my basement for about 4 5 6 weeks and took away the heat lamp around 4 5 weeks and moved them out about 6 weeks old. You wanna move them outside when it's nice and warm

 

[Mcse4u]

Thanks for the info! I've already been taking them out on afternoon field trips when it hasn't been raining. They've been out probably four or five times already for around an hour each time.