Is it safe to move chicks outside?

[Lowe5749]

I have some new born easter eggers and a couple marans in a brooder in my spare bedroom. They were born thursday and seem to all be healthy. I have a brooder in my coop I want to put them in to free up my bedroom, but this morning when I went to check om my chickens outside, my broody hen " Big Momma" was under the heat lamp. Is it to cold for the chicks at night now? I have heat lamps, but seeing my grown hen under one makes me nervous. There is an open window in my coop, I have hardware cloth on, should I put plastic on it? Im new to chickens still so any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[mstricer]

Will your broody take them? She probably likes the cold. But I can't imagine it being that cold where you are. I have 2 hens with clutches that were hatched last Monday they are out side, but have a mother to keep them warm it was 38* this morning
Oh Yeah

 

[1muttsfan]

Was your hen in the brooder box? The chicks should be kept separate from the adult birds until they are close to the same size as the adults. Their brooder should be separate, draft-free, and should have a heat source that provides enough warmth for your chicks to stay comfortable - at their age around 90 degrees.

 

[Lowe5749]

No Big Momma is not in the brooder but I have smaller birds out there that arent hers, so I hung a heat lamp off the side for em incase they wanted it. I read on another forum bout a hen launching a chick snuck in across the coop so I'm afraid to try to get her to take them. The other chicks were in there before she got here so she doesn't bother with them. It was in the fortys this morning according to my thermometer on the outside of my coop, I think if I put plastic on that window I can keep them warm enough with to heat lamps without cooking my others, thanks for the help!

 

[RonC]

The broody may or may not accept the chicks. Only way to find out would be to try and keep an eye on them. If she accepts them then she will protect them from the other chickens. If you had a choice of 40 degrees or a nice warm heat lamp what would you choose? If you choose to use the brooder don't try to heat the whole thing, just an area for them to warm up. They will develop feathers faster that way. I wouldn't recommend adding the small chicks in with any more than a couple of weeks older unless the broody accepts them.

 

[Lowe5749]

Okay so I moved all 15 of my babies out into the brooder. Using the advice you guys gave me only put 1 heat lamp on 1 side. The chicks seem to love it they will run back and forth watching big mama and the other chicks play. I put a towel under the heat lamp and they all seem to sleep there, it's pretty cool because they don't use the bathroom on the towel, well a few spots but most goes on the hay. They are very curious and to be mutts they are really pretty, a few of them look like my Bantam Wyandottes. Im gonna try to get some pics up, and need an expert opinion on 1 of my chicks that's supposed to be a blue maran, I have others but they don't look like that little guy.