Movin' OUT!! :)

[IndigoJaguar]

Well....I finally got tired of smelly chicks in the house. They are four weeks old and nearly fully feathered. They are running around inside my open front greenhouse, and then they have a insulated box with a heater in for night or if they get cold. Now my problem is getting them to discover the box!!!!! Not sure how to accomplish that yet!
How warm do you think I should keep the inside of their box at night? I have weaned them off of light for about a week now, but not heat yet. I know that it is going to get down in the forty's here at night, but at what age is this ok for them?
I can't seem to get a clear picture from the posts I've read when they are good to go without heat at all in 40 night time temp. What do you all do?

 

[IndigoJaguar]

I don't know. I'm nervous about it being too cold. Maybe I'll just bring them in again. They don't seem to be going in the box at all.

 

[wayneh]

Quote:
at 4 weeks ours were outside in their coop. we put in a heat lamp for the cold nights and they were fine. do you have a roost for them to sleep on? chicks your age will look for something high to get on. put a roost in your box and see if that helps.

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Yep, I'm there with you!! My chickies are outside today!! I built them a PVC run for supervised outside time. They are getting so big!! Mine are 3 going on 4 weeks. They are as big as my Seramas now!! I have Barred Rocks, and Buff Orps. I wouldn't consider them fully feathered yet, but they are getting there.

I will bring them inside tonight. My house doesn't drop below 65, and I let them have a low watt heat lamp until bedtime. My goal is to have them acclimated to outdoors by the end of the month, so when I hopefully sell them, they will be truly out of the brooder. Its a breezy 65-70 degree day today, and they are huddling in the sunny spot of the run, so I think they are a bit cold. I think I'll let them hang in there for another hour or so, then bring them in to warm them up again. Their health is more important than my timeline, but I also realize I tend to baby my babies.

 

[erinchelsea]

I'm waiting till we can get a heat lamp out in their shed (DH has to do some re-wiring first). But I am soooo tempted to kick these chickies out! Mine are almost 4 weeks and they are getting stinky, super dusty, and too big for their brooder! Hopefully within the next couple days mine will be outta here. (We have brown-egg layers of various breeds) It makes me too nervous to put them in a building with no heat.

 

[IndigoJaguar]

My concern is that its too breezy in there for them only two sides of the greenhouse are covered. However, their night box is enclosed with the heater.

"Yep, I'm there with you!! My chickies are outside today!! I built them a PVC run for supervised outside time. They are getting so big!! Mine are 3 going on 4 weeks. They are as big as my Seramas now!! I have Barred Rocks, and Buff Orps. I wouldn't consider them fully feathered yet, but they are getting there.

I will bring them inside tonight. My house doesn't drop below 65, and I let them have a low watt heat lamp until bedtime. My goal is to have them acclimated to outdoors by the end of the month, so when I hopefully sell them, they will be truly out of the brooder. Its a breezy 65-70 degree day today, and they are huddling in the sunny spot of the run, so I think they are a bit cold. I think I'll let them hang in there for another hour or so, then bring them in to warm them up again. Their health is more important than my timeline, but I also realize I tend to baby my babies.

"

They have been running around all afternoon in there, not huddling or anything, so I don't think they are too cold during the day.

I do baby my babies too! LOL

at 4 weeks ours were outside in their coop. we put in a heat lamp for the cold nights and they were fine. do you have a roost for them to sleep on? chicks your age will look for something high to get on. put a roost in your box and see if that helps.

I do have roost in there for them. I'll see how it goes.
I hate all this worrying!! LOL​

 

[IndigoJaguar]

I'm waiting till we can get a heat lamp out in their shed (DH has to do some re-wiring first). But I am soooo tempted to kick these chickies out! Mine are almost 4 weeks and they are getting stinky, super dusty, and too big for their brooder! Hopefully within the next couple days mine will be outta here. (We have brown-egg layers of various breeds) It makes me too nervous to put them in a building with no heat.

Well....I'll try and update on how it goes.

If it is too cold the next couple days, in they come. Northern Indiana winter is really hanging on here; come on spring!​

 

[IndigoJaguar]

It's dark....and I scooped them all up several hours ago and made them go in the box. Then I blocked them in. I have a thermometer in here I am watching, and I keep going out and looking at them to make sure the aren't too warm...It's about 70 in there, so says my thermometer.

Maybe after spending the night in there they will understand to go there to get warm and eat and drink.

 

[IndigoJaguar]

I'm a complete failure!! I took them out, spent all night checking on their temps, and then come morning decided it was too cold for them to run around outside (40 degrees).

I have no experience in this area and I can't seem to get a feel for if 40 is too cold, and if they would go back in the box if they were freezing or not. Yesterday they wouldn't go near it with a ten foot pole.

 

[IndigoJaguar]

Maybe I'll try again. I went to town today and got outfitted