Is it warm enough outside for my chicks?

[ChickiChica]

Hi all,
I live on the coast of northern California. Daytime temps here in the summer are usually in the 60's and partly cloudy, and night time temps are around 50. My chicks are only a couple of weeks old, so I won't move them outside for at least a couple more weeks, but am wondering if going from the warmth of our house and the heat lamp to outside without a heat source is going to be a shock for them? Is that what people usually do?

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Are you raising the heat lamp every week? The point of that is to slowly get them used to the surrounding air. I'm in CA too but SoCal. =0)

 

[ChickiChica]

I am raising it, but really just based on how the chicks behave, I haven't been keeping track of the temperature with a thermometer in the brooder. I suppose if our house is around 65-68 inside, by the time I move them outside they should not be needing the light at all?

What about the lower nighttime temps?

 

[Countrypunk92]

It would be best to wait till they are nice and feathered out.

 

[Judy]

I'd probably put them out around 4 weeks in your climate. I'd turn the heat lamp off while they were still in the house, during the day for a few days then altogether, to get them accustomed. You'll be able to tell what they are ready for by the way they act. At 7 or 8 weeks, any chick should be fully feathered, but they should do fine sooner than that in a mild climate.

I recently brooded some from day one in my coop, with a heat lamp, but by 3 weeks or so it was turned off all the time because they were avoiding it. Nighttime lows them were definitely below 70, probably around 60. I'm so used to watching broodies raise them, and how young they tolerate lower temps with just short trips under mama for warmth, or even out all day and under mama at night, that I just can't get worried about not providing heat unless they act cold.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Mine are four weeks and outside until night time, then back in the garage. Our night temps are at 50 and above so they'll be outside full time as soon as the second coop arrives.