I may be in BIG trouble!!

[Happily Retired]

My 11 BR chicks are not quite 2 weeks old and are growing exponentially. They are rapidly outgrowing their brooder box of 6+ square feet. Nowhere in my research did I ever see that they would be Pterodactyls by the time the were fully feathered. So here is my dilemma. The outside coop will be ready for them in 2 weeks. I would like to move them out there at that time which would put them at 4 weeks of age. I am in Central Texas where our nights are 68-72 and our days are in the lower 90's. I am thinking that I could put them out there with a 100W radiant heater in a corner with lots of straw under the heater where they could snuggle together. Or perhaps just put 4 or 5 out there initially and see how they do thereby risking only a portion of the flock. They are currently in the guest room where the ambient temperature is about 80.

Adding another brooder box is out of the question because there is just no room for anything meaningful.

If I am forced to wait until they are 6 weeks/fully feathered before moving, it will be ME moving out to the new coop.

It seems I spend the majority of my life between a rock and a hard place.

Any/All advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[azygous]

Yes, chicks double in size each week. As their feathers replace down, they are quickly able to retain their own body heat, especially as your air temperatures are so warm.

Chicks two to three weeks old need no heat at all during the day at temps as high as yours. Chicks four to five weeks old need little to no heat at night at temps as mild as you have. You won't be risking their lives by moving them outside.

In fact, right now, today, you may take these rambunctious little devils outside and let them romp like real chickens. Set up a secure enclosure with a cover over the top to prevent something from helping themselves to tender nuggets, and they need no heat at 90F. Provide both sun and shade, and watch the little tykes dirt and sun bathe and run and play like escaped jail birds.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Well, I've got 7 chicks partially feathered that did okay in low 50s most of yesterday because I forgot to turn the plate on when I took the light away. So as long as they're dry and not drafty, 60+ at night should be fine

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yes, chicks double in size each week. As their feathers replace down, they are quickly able to retain their own body heat, especially as your air temperatures are so warm.

Chicks two to three weeks old need no heat at all during the day at temps as high as yours. Chicks four to five weeks old need little to no heat at night at temps as mild as you have. You won't be risking their lives by moving them outside.

In fact, right now, today, you may take these rambunctious little devils outside and let them romp like real chickens. Set up a secure enclosure with a cover over the top to prevent something from helping themselves to tender nuggets, and they need no heat at 90F. Provide both sun and shade, and watch the little tykes dirt and sun bathe and run and play like escaped jail birds.

Thats exactly what i did. The coop wasnt finished and my girls were driving me nuts in the house! For 2 full weeks, every morning, i would pack them all up for our outdoor field trips. I would sit with them outside ALL day until we went in and did it all again the next day. Ahhh, sweet memories tho. June 5th 2021 we moved them to their forever home and the rest is history!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I put my 2-week-old EEs out in a sectioned off area of the big coop with no heat. It was in the 50s at night. They were partially feathered, but it was no problem!

 

[gtaus]

I found this on the internet:

How much space do chickens need in a brooder?
Newborns up to 4 weeks old need around 1/4 square foot per chick. Five weeks and up will need around 1/2 square foot per chick. Bantam breeds will not need as much space as they are smaller. It is better to buy a larger brooder and then use dividers to make it smaller for newborns.
how much space does a chicken need in a brooder - VJP Poultry
vjppoultry.com/tag/how-much-space-does-a-chicken-nee…

Chicks grow fast, and it looks like it might be a bit crowded later on, but I don't think you need to panic. If you feel that there are too many chicks in your small brooder, then I would be cleaning it out more frequently for the health of the chicks. But, given your Texas warm weather, I think you will be just fine moving the chicks out when you planned. The day and night temps will probably both be warmer in a few weeks. I don't think I would worry about additional heat outside in the coop at that time, but maybe someone more familiar with your location can give better guidance. Until a few days ago, my night time temps were still down in the 30F's, so I live in a much colder climate.

 

[Chicalina]

I would put them out all day and bring them in at night. No heat unless you've got aircon on.

And god no straw under heat lamps in an outdoor coop. You'll burn the whole thing down

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My 11 BR chicks are not quite 2 weeks old and are growing exponentially. They are rapidly outgrowing their brooder box of 6+ square feet. Nowhere in my research did I ever see that they would be Pterodactyls by the time the were fully feathered. So here is my dilemma. The outside coop will be ready for them in 2 weeks. I would like to move them out there at that time which would put them at 4 weeks of age. I am in Central Texas where our nights are 68-72 and our days are in the lower 90's. I am thinking that I could put them out there with a 100W radiant heater in a corner with lots of straw under the heater where they could snuggle together. Or perhaps just put 4 or 5 out there initially and see how they do thereby risking only a portion of the flock. They are currently in the guest room where the ambient temperature is about 80.

Adding another brooder box is out of the question because there is just no room for anything meaningful.

If I am forced to wait until they are 6 weeks/fully feathered before moving, it will be ME moving out to the new coop.

It seems I spend the majority of my life between a rock and a hard place.

Any/All advice would be greatly appreciated!

I am able to move mine out at three weeks, under similar temperatures as your own, though they have a shelter overnight thru a hole in the wall of my barn, for their protection. I start taking them out during warm, still days between 7 and 10 days so they can begin to acclimate to the outside (and to clean their box). No suplimental heat needed.

 

[arizona_chicken_noob]

You say there is no room for a new indoor area but if they have a guest room, consider using some flat cardboard boxes and zipties to make a little corral. I put this over a sheet of plastic and voila, temporary chicken habitat. Might ease the stress of keeping so many chicks in such a small space.

edit: added picture of my chicks in their cardboard chicken corral (final days). It was about 5' in diameter.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

For my chicks, I have Bantams, they usually stay inside full time for 2-3 weeks. Then I take them out at day in at night. Then a week or 2 later they go out full time.