Moving Chicks Outside

[Ketty Ash]

I'd love to hear what other chicken owners have to say about this. I've raised young chicks in brooders in our garage before moving them to the coop for two years now. At first, they're cute and it's easy to keep them contained. However, after a few weeks, they become escape artists and they're very messy. I kept them in the garage for about 3 1/2 months, March through June. Was I being overly cautious? At what age do others of you put your chicks into the outside coop? Our coop has no electricity and is quite a distance from the house.

 

[bmanty]

I'd love to hear what other chicken owners have to say about this. I've raised young chicks in brooders in our garage before moving them to the coop for two years now. At first, they're cute and it's easy to keep them contained. However, after a few weeks, they become escape artists and they're very messy. I kept them in the garage for about 3 1/2 months, March through June. Was I being overly cautious? At what age do others of you put your chicks into the outside coop? Our coop has no electricity and is quite a distance from the house.

Hi, last year was my first year raising chicks, They were indoor in a large dog kennel (4 of them) After 4.5 weeks I moved them to a hutch in the coop, that way the mature birds can see them and vice versa. I would let them out for a few minutes a day to run around with the large birds, I let it go longer a little more and more and once they were 8 to 9 weeks I would let them out an hour with the big birds and just check on them. One night I went to put them back before sundown and surprisingly they were all on the roosts together in their own spaces. So I left them out, no problem ever since.

My coop has no electricity and at the end of April we get mixed weather so I still had a heat lamp on an extension cord from the house warm them for another week or two.

I would say introduce them little by little and maybe by 8-10 weeks they can hold their own. Others may differ but its really just some trial and error, supervision, and temperaments of the mature birds.

 

[bmanty]

I'd love to hear what other chicken owners have to say about this. I've raised young chicks in brooders in our garage before moving them to the coop for two years now. At first, they're cute and it's easy to keep them contained. However, after a few weeks, they become escape artists and they're very messy. I kept them in the garage for about 3 1/2 months, March through June. Was I being overly cautious? At what age do others of you put your chicks into the outside coop? Our coop has no electricity and is quite a distance from the house.

Actually my profile picture is of them with the big girls. You can see them in the middle with the others up above.

 

[Chickens&Dogs_12]

I'd love to hear what other chicken owners have to say about this. I've raised young chicks in brooders in our garage before moving them to the coop for two years now. At first, they're cute and it's easy to keep them contained. However, after a few weeks, they become escape artists and they're very messy. I kept them in the garage for about 3 1/2 months, March through June. Was I being overly cautious? At what age do others of you put your chicks into the outside coop? Our coop has no electricity and is quite a distance from the house.

I love this time last year I had 2 chicks that were 2 weeks older than the rest and the coop wasn't finished and the kept escaping and running around the room making a mess. I just got new chicks a couple days ago to.

 

[Chickens&Dogs_12]

My chicks were about a month old when I put them out to the coop. Also a coop does not need electricity my does not.

 

[K813ZRA]

Normally 6-8 weeks depending on the weather. It still gets pretty chilly here at night even in the summer though.

 

[love4mychickens]

I kept my chicks in till about 2 months and then i moved them to their coop.

At first, they're cute and it's easy to keep them contained. However, after a few weeks, they become escape artists and they're very messy

Mine were quite the escape artists also.
Then I got a taller fence and they couldn't fly over anymore.

 

[Beer can]

As soon as they get their feathers I kick them out. They'll huddle and keep warm at night.
I put a chicken wire top on my brooder box to prevent escape artists, there's always at least one even with four foot tall sides on brooder box.
Newly hatched and for awhile they are in the house in a small brooder, I put a window screen top on that to keep our cat out, she likes sleeping on it Lol.
Then they go out into a 4x8 brooder in the garage till they start feathering out.
Around six, eight weeks I think?

At three 1/2 months I'm processing the extras for the freezer.