Moving chicks outside?

[MontanaDolphin]

I know this has been answered in a number of threads...and I've read a lot of them...but I wasn't sure if everyone was talking about daytime temps or nighttime. Like, for instance, on a thread I read someone said to wait until it is above 60 degrees...we won't have those types of temps at night until June!

I live in central Virginia, and our weather finally looks like it's going to be like spring. This week it's forcasted to be in the 70's during the day. Night time temps vary, though. Sometimes we get down to the 50's, sometimes the 40's, sometimes 30's, and once in a while we'll be in the 20's. Even though our daytime temps will be good for the chicks, what about at night? Is the 20's and 30's too cold for them? Our last frost date is April 15th...but of course with the long winter we have had, I wouldn't be surprised if we hit a few more lows in the 20's past the 15th.

My chicks turn 6 weeks on Wednesday, they look like they have all their feathers (except for their bums lol), although one of them (the runt) looks like he still has somewhat of a naked neck. They are Barred Rocks, and I have 6 of them. Should I put them out when they turn 6 weeks, or should I wait another week or two past their 6 week birthday? They are outgrowing their brooder, and they are complaining quite vocally every day about having no room!

Also, I do not have an option of putting a heat lamp out there with them. There is no electric out to the coop, and it's a good distance from the house...running an extension cord or two is also not an option. So, when they go out, they need to rely on their own bodies, and each other's, for warmth.

Thank you in advance!

 

[hollys chicks]

i have lots of barred rocks i love them i have hand reared alot of them in my short yrs i find leaving them out is the hardest thing sometimes i put them out of the day, when night time comes i put the chicks in a big box with a heat lamp over the top. if you dont want to do that if they have a coop locked them in there of a night make sure they have roosting boxes with the right bedding in them. chicks at that age are tough animals. the first suggestion i mention is good cause when you bring them in of a night they are buggard and go straight to sleep after that..

 

[Chick N Mama]

I had the same question - thanks for asking! Spring is fickle here in Colorado and my girls don't understand 70* one day and snow the next. They aren't outside yet full time since they are still a bit young but I was trying to plan ahead. Was worried about those cold nights ahead. We can get snow in May on occasion...

 

[hollys chicks]

i live in australia most people think its always hot but believe me i can get bloody cold here i get worried about the chicks too. in the cold i make sure there is alot of towels and hotwater bottles to keep them warm. the longer they are kept inside the more noise they are goin to make i have found

 

[TheItyBittyBarn]

I am a owner of many different types of chickens and chicks one breed being barred rocks. At 4 weeks the chicks are ready to go outside on nice sunny days as long as there is a shaded area. As long as your chicks have a shelter and good bedding they should be ready to go outside starting at 45 degree weather and up. Just make sure that they are completely out of the wind because that is the thing that fets them. I would defiantly do a trial first and if they are showing signs of being cold wait a little longer. Hope this helps

 

[SlipsWife]

Our first group of red sex-links/white leghorns and a bantam (not sure what she was) were moved out of the house at 4 weeks and into the coop w/a heat lamp and did fine. We were having 30-40 lows. During the day if it warmed up above 65 I would unplug the heat lamp. We moved our newest group out 2 night ago (just under 3 wks old) and even though we are only getting down into the upper 50's right now I still turned the heat lamp on. They did great. My 'thinking' is as long as you offer a source of heat, they should be fine. We did have to physically herd the first group under the lamp at night. They would nest down in a corner. I even tried waiting a couple of hours after turning the light on before going on to check on them and they'd still be in the corner. They would stay under the heat lamp once moved under it so they did still need it. The new group went under it the first night as soon as it was plugged in on their own. I swear they are a smarter group than the first guys.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Our first group of red sex-links/white leghorns and a bantam (not sure what she was) were moved out of the house at 4 weeks and into the coop w/a heat lamp and did fine. We were having 30-40 lows. During the day if it warmed up above 65 I would unplug the heat lamp. We moved our newest group out 2 night ago (just under 3 wks old) and even though we are only getting down into the upper 50's right now I still turned the heat lamp on. They did great. My 'thinking' is as long as you offer a source of heat, they should be fine. We did have to physically herd the first group under the lamp at night. They would nest down in a corner. I even tried waiting a couple of hours after turning the light on before going on to check on them and they'd still be in the corner. They would stay under the heat lamp once moved under it so they did still need it. The new group went under it the first night as soon as it was plugged in on their own. I swear they are a smarter group than the first guys.

If you read the end of my post (the first one) I said that a heat lamp is not an option. There is no electric out there and running extension cords is not possible.