I kicked my chicks out...

[RedReiner]

hatched 11 english orp chicks and they were living in my spare room in two big plastic tubs. the weather here has been unbelievable this month. snow every morning!! and then rain rain rain. was freezing at night. so I could not put them out, to cold. They are now 3 or 4 weeks old and trying to fly out of the tubs. today it did not snow, and it got mid 50's so out in the barn they went!!!!! stinky lil things... but now I feel bad...its still cold out there. mid 40's. they are in a big wire crate with a run attached. I put an infra red over them and covered the crate with some horse blankets. they are all under the light sleeping close but not piled on top each other. I feel so mean...

 

[Judy]

They might prefer it. More natural for them. Also real fresh air. Just wait til they get a little time on real ground!

 

[RedReiner]

Quote:
yeah I figured after a day or two they would stop being such big chickens and enjoy it lol. the barn has an open front so I hope they dont get cold. guessing not with 3 horse blankets around their crate and a 250 watt infra red. gotta worry about something though!!

 

[galanie]

English orps? My coop is nice and warm... they would be really comfy here...

hehe

 

[jmagill]

I moved 8 Sussex babies ( 4 to 6 weeks old) to the coop yesterday. It is about 15 degrees outside right now.
Sitting here having my coffee a thought came into my head. Did I plug the heat emitter into the reg plug or the one that turns off the lights?

Running out there in robe with a flashlight I find the heater on but they are no where near it but all huddle up in the corner.
I lowered it some but they all seem to have made it through the night fine. I will have a better look when it gets light

 

[Fred's Hens]

Moved my 5 week old out day before yesterday. 30 at night and highs only in the upper 40's. They are loving it. They'll sleep under the lamp, but that's it. Most of the time, they are just enjoying their large grow out pen. I brood in the garage, but even there, the stink is too much. Time to go.

 

[RedReiner]

lol of course instead of staying around 40 last night it froze!! they are all under the light staying warm though. they are not fully feathered yet but pretty close. my broody raised some in feb when it was really freezing and I figured if they didnt die these ones would be fine lol.

 

[snomonkey33]

I have 7 chicks in my kitchen that are about 3 weeks old, they don't stink much yet as long as I keep the shavings a couple inches deep and refresh them once a week

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I get them outdoors as soon as possible. Given a dry spot, a heat source and safety from predators is all they need. (besides food and clean water)
I had 2 batches of chicks 1 week apart and the brood house was getting crowded so I put 3.5 week freedom rangers out in a small field coop with a pasture run. They'd huddle under the lamp at night but run the pasture most days. The south wall of the coop was open for ventilation. The second night outside a rare south windstorm blew the roof doors open. One chick got blown into the next county. The rest suffered a night of cool drizzle. I had no idea till the next morning. I replaced the bedding, got the building warmed up and none suffered any ill effects.
Hardy chicks can handle a lot.
Fragile stock will die at the drop of a hat.