Keep 8wk silkies inside or outside?

[Jamesthesilkie]

So I have two silkies. Lakeisha and jaquon. I bought them on Craigslist and there were no other chicks available or I would have gotten more. I'm wondering when do I start letting them outside? I'm in North Carolina and night temps are usually around 30. Since there's only two I'm worried they won't be able to keep warm. Would a heat lamp in the coop suffice? Or should I wait until I find more chicken friends for them? Thanks very much!

 

[nchls school]

When in doubt play it safe. I have young serama that I take outside during the day, but bring indoors when it's cold at night (Tennessee gets fairly warm during the day, 40-60 degrees, but cool/cold at night; 30 + or -)

 

[NNYchick]

I would say it depends on if they have been acclimated to outside temperatures. I raise silkies in northern ny and they do well in my unheated well ventilated dry and draft free coop but they have been acclimated.

 

[Jamesthesilkie]

I would say it depends on if they have been acclimated to outside temperatures. I raise silkies in northern ny and they do well in my unheated well ventilated dry and draft free coop but they have been acclimated.

So maybe I'll try to turn their heat off in their room and slowly get them use to colder temps? Then let them in the run during the day and inside at night?

 

[NNYchick]

So maybe I'll try to turn their heat off in their room and slowly get them use to colder temps? Then let them in the run during the day and inside at night?

Yes they definitely should be off heat inside now. Start acclimating them slowly, if you have been using a heat lamp they may freak for a few nights as they won’t be use to the dark. How warm is the room they have been in vs outside daytime temperatures. Maybe we can help with how to acclimate them. I’ll try to help but I raise my silkies out in coop either with a broody or a diy heat plate and they usually have wean themselves different times depending on temperature and they always have adult silkies to huddle with so I’m not really sure how cold would be to cold for them at this stage.

 

[Jamesthesilkie]

Yes they definitely should be off heat inside now. Start acclimating them slowly, if you have been using a heat lamp they may freak for a few nights as they won’t be use to the dark. How warm is the room they have been in vs outside daytime temperatures. Maybe we can help with how to acclimate them. I’ll try to help but I raise my silkies out in coop either with a broody or a diy heat plate and they usually have wean themselves different times depending on temperature and they always have adult silkies to huddle with so I’m not really sure how cold would be to cold for them at this stage.

Well I just got them a week ago so I haven't used any heat lamp. The room has been at 70-75 and the outdoor temps during the day are around 45-60 and at night 25-40

 

[NNYchick]

Were they housed in a heated brooder when you got them last week or had they been outside? If they were already outside you should be good. If not start by decreasing heat to 60 in the room if you can and see how they do. I would think at 8 weeks 60 should be fine then you can introduce them to cooler temperatures every few day and watch how they do. Do you have other chickens in the coop, if so I would do a 30 day quarantine before introduce them to the flock.

 

[Jamesthesilkie]

Were they housed in a heated brooder when you got them last week or had they been outside? If they were already outside you should be good. If not start by decreasing heat to 60 in the room if you can and see how they do. I would think at 8 weeks 60 should be fine then you can introduce them to cooler temperatures every few day and watch how they do. Do you have other chickens in the coop, if so I would do a 30 day quarantine before introduce them to the flock.

I’m not sure but I believe outside.

It was around 70 today so I went to my friends abandoned house and got a small coop for them during the day. I’m going to bring them in at night until my other coop is completed.

I don’t have any other chickens, these two are my first!

 

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make sure you clean the other coop well for you dont know if it has lice and mites or disease in it from other chickens or whatever was in there

 

[Jamesthesilkie]

make sure you clean the other coop well for you dont know if it has lice and mites or disease in it from other chickens or whatever was in there

It has been vacant for 6 years