moving chicks outside

[juliachick]

So we are moving our 2 wk and 3 wk chicks outside today. It was 65 today and the low should be about 40 tonight. I have a cardboard suround for them w/several inches of pine shavings and two heat lamps (250 watt ..one red & one regular). The garage they are going into isn't heated and now I'm having second thoughts. It would be so sad to lose any because of the cold. I have a thermometer in there and it's fine now but I'm worried about it dropping in the middle of the night. They need more room than I can provide indoors at this point. So they need to go to the bigger brooder out there. Does anyone else have chicks in an uninsulated area that gets pretty cold at night? If so do you use a space heater or do you feel lamps are enough? Thanks!

 

[lisahaschickens]

Hi Juliachick!

I say go for it! I moved mine at 2 weeks old and the temps still got in the 20s and 30s at night. I used 2 250 watt lamps and they did just fine - they were SO MUCH happier out there than in the brooder box.

Check out my blog (link in my signature)... you can read starting with the post "The Big Move" dateed February 21st... and you can read forward from there if you like.

I documented the whole thing with pictures and I talked about the temps and how I set up the coop and lamps, etc, and the temperatures, etc. I hope my blog will be of help to you! Good luck!!

 

[Judy]

I'd check on them a couple of hours after dark to make sure they aren't piling on top of each other -- or too hot and trying to get further away!

Mine (51 of them) are 4 weeks, 40 last night, no draft guard, one 250W lamp, have been out for over a week. Early this am they were scattered all over the coop, scratching and pecking; not a one under the heat lamp.

 

[LauraM]

Mine are 4 weeks, outside full time with a 125W light. It has been hovering in the 30's and 40's at night and the chicks seem happy. I was really worried about them being too cold, but the 250W light was actually too hot! They are in a tractor, the enclosed area is smallish, they have a cardboard box with shavings and it seems like they only stay in it for a very short time. When I have been going to bed at night they are still up and walking around and when I wake up they are up and walking around. I have never seen them huddled together. We haven't had all that warm of days either.

 

[augustmomx2]

I live in Indy and we just moved our almost 2wk old girls and boys out to their coop last night. They were in a small baby pool and started to outgrow it. They not only started flying all over the place, but also started pecking @ eachother, so 19 birds, in a baby pool, was not enough room.

Last night it dropped down to around 34 and we have one red 250 watt lamp. I woke up @ 5am to check on them and most of them were sleeping together w/a few hanging out by themselves. I moved the baby pool into the coop and cut a "door" for them to run the coop freely. By 8am they were up and about doing their chickie thing. I just checked on them a few moments ago and they were doing fine. Hope this info helps

 

[juliachick]

Thanks for the assurance! I moved them out last night into our garage. I have the two heat lamps in there with them. I could tell from where all the droppings were they stayed under the one that was higher up than the other. I was so nervous about heat and also worried what if a preditor got into the garage somehow. They made out just fine and are happy little chicks. They definetly needed more room. The kids and I miss talking to them and our one dog and cats miss the chick watching that entertained them all day the past few weeks. We have to go visit them in a few minutes!