My four week old ladies, two each of Silver Laced Wyandotte, two Speckled Sussex and two Golden Laced Wyandotte are developing nicely in their indoor brooder and are looking ready for some turnout time in the chicken paddock.
The weather here in NY is warm and summery and the chicks have a little down left but are mostly feathered and they are not wishing to remain under the heat lamp in their brooder. They are active and leaping around in their kennel brooder and I'd love for them to go out to the coop but I'm not sure if they are too young.
They will be going out with my seven hens, five of whom are mature and just over a year, and two who are about eight months old, and my bantam rooster.
I don't have a way to completely separate the new ladies from the others in the coop and small run if I want them to be safe at night so I was thinking to put their entire brooder kennel into the coop so they could dive in there if they were feeling insecure. I would also keep their chick food in there and then probably close it at night to be sure only they would have access to their feed.
The little 'uns are too small yet to go out into the large 40 x 40' chicken paddock so I was going to lock everyone in the coop and small run area for a bit so the kids learn their new home. The coop is about 8.5 x 7.5 and the enclosed and covered paddock is about 14 x 16. Once they are comfortable I'd open the large area up to them.
I think in the long run the chicks would be happier outside since it is warm and they'd have more space....but I hope I'm not jumping the gun a little. It was late winter/early spring with my first two batches of chicks so they were about six to eight weeks old before they went out.
The weather here in NY is warm and summery and the chicks have a little down left but are mostly feathered and they are not wishing to remain under the heat lamp in their brooder. They are active and leaping around in their kennel brooder and I'd love for them to go out to the coop but I'm not sure if they are too young.
They will be going out with my seven hens, five of whom are mature and just over a year, and two who are about eight months old, and my bantam rooster.
I don't have a way to completely separate the new ladies from the others in the coop and small run if I want them to be safe at night so I was thinking to put their entire brooder kennel into the coop so they could dive in there if they were feeling insecure. I would also keep their chick food in there and then probably close it at night to be sure only they would have access to their feed.
The little 'uns are too small yet to go out into the large 40 x 40' chicken paddock so I was going to lock everyone in the coop and small run area for a bit so the kids learn their new home. The coop is about 8.5 x 7.5 and the enclosed and covered paddock is about 14 x 16. Once they are comfortable I'd open the large area up to them.
I think in the long run the chicks would be happier outside since it is warm and they'd have more space....but I hope I'm not jumping the gun a little. It was late winter/early spring with my first two batches of chicks so they were about six to eight weeks old before they went out.
