I would like to put my chicks outside

[BlessedCountry6]

I think they are fully feathered. But they still seem small. I went out to check on them and they were all huddled in a pile. Their outside coop is big 12x40 plus a hen house on the side for when they are ready. I would really like to leave them outside all the time but every time I come around they all come running and I feel like they want to go back inside. (haha, maybe they just want food). Thanks for the advice, obviously I'm new at this

My first 29 huddled up for weeks but loved the outdoors. They should be fine. Them following you shows you they know who feeds them. That is good incase you need to bring them together.
(I brooded them in my shop and they still followed me all over)

 

[junebuggena]

I think they are fully feathered. But they still seem small. I went out to check on them and they were all huddled in a pile. Their outside coop is big 12x40 plus a hen house on the side for when they are ready. I would really like to leave them outside all the time but every time I come around they all come running and I feel like they want to go back inside. (haha, maybe they just want food). Thanks for the advice, obviously I'm new at this

Are you saying you're using a run as a coop? The house type structure is what most people mean when talking about coops. Big difference between leaving chicks outside in a run all night versus inside a coop.

 

[Beekissed]

Are you saying you're using a run as a coop? The house type structure is what most people mean when talking about coops. Big difference between leaving chicks outside in a run all night versus inside a coop.

Not really. I have a coop that is completely open on the sides to the elements and is much like a run. As long as they have a warm place to sleep and have a wind block to keep them from getting too much wind and rain, they are just fine. A person just needs to use common sense and provide for their sheltering needs and the outside environment will produce very healthy, hardy chicks that feather quicker and are independent much more quickly than those raised in a box indoors or inside a coop.

 

[junebuggena]

It would really depend on your climate as well. Beekissed, your setup may work great for you in your region. I live in the Pacific Northwest, 1 mile from the ocean. 30 mile an hour winds are considered a light breeze here.

 

[Beekissed]

It would really depend on your climate as well. Beekissed, your setup may work great for you in your region. I live in the Pacific Northwest, 1 mile from the ocean. 30 mile an hour winds are considered a light breeze here.

That's where a wind block comes in handy.

Common sense was mentioned in the post. Chicks are at floor level so the wind block doesn't have to be a massive structure, nor even a structure at all....I use hay bales. They have wonderful insulation properties and don't let a whisper of hard winds into the brooder. Then you can break them down and use them around the walls of the enclosure after the chicks have outgrown the brooder.

All regions have their issues and no one region is any more harsh than another that a little ingenuity cannot overcome it. Solutions don't have to be just regional because there are climate differences...it's called adapting and it's a useful skill when raising livestock.

 

[Blooie]

I brood my chicks outdoors in an open pen within the run, here in Northern Wyoming. We consider 30mph winds a breeze.

We often see winds in excess of 50 mph. The week my latest chicks went out we had winds of 60 mph and sideways snow, with a power outage tossed in just to keep it interesting! They do great! I've raised 3 broods of chicks this way and haven't lost a single one. They are strong, active, curious and integration with the rest of the flock has gone very smoothly since they can see each other constantly. There is a 3 sided box stood up on end where their Mama Heating Pad/cave is located, and that blocks the prevailing North and West winds. When that wind comes down off the mountains it's more than a mite chilly. But they sure don't spend much time there...they love to have the entire brooder to explore regardless of what the weather is doing.



Last year my first chicks just about drove me, and everyone around me (right, Bee?) crazy. I fussed, I worried, I stressed....and by 5.5 weeks I couldn't handle them being in the house one more day. So they got evicted out to the still-unfinished coop on April 1st. I put a heat lamp out there for them and checked them constantly. Nighttime temps in the coop were in the 20s. They didn't even use the area where the heat lamp was. Same thing the second night. So on the morning of the third day the lamp came out. If they weren't using it, I wasn't risking it. That night it snowed, and our last snowfall was June 6th. Those chicks did great, and are now thriving adults. This year's chicks (a total of 11 that are 9 weeks old, 4 that are 8 weeks old, and 8 that are 4 weeks old) are absolutely fine. The older chicks started outside while the run was still covered for winter. They were about 4 and 5 weeks old when the run was uncovered for the season, The new chicks have been in the uncovered run since day one.

Bee is right, it's a simple matter of adapting to your conditions and using common sense. With a wind block in place, these hardy little boogers can thrive outdoors.

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm glad you joined our community!

As long as the temperatures in your area aren't getting below 40-50 degrees F. at night, your chicks should be fine staying outside.

 

[Beekissed]

I've kept them outside even when temps were still 20-30 at night, with 40s-50s in the day. As long as they have a heat source of some kind, they do fine. Just watch the chicks and provide tenting or conserving of the heat in the brooder as necessary. If you see them huddled under the heat source all the time, provide more tenting of the heat by decreasing the size of the brooder or placing something over it to conserve the heat in the brooder area. If you find them avoiding the heat source, do just the opposite. It's the same as brooding indoors but without all the mess, stink and sound being in your home.