moving chicks to outside open coop

[lizziebeth66]

My chicks are almost 4 weeks old and have been to their open coop(I think that is the right term) several times and love it.
It is in the mid to upper 90's during the day and mid to upper 70's and sometimes 80 at night.We are considering moving them to the coop this weekend. We will still have the heat lamp at night for them. My husband is pushing to get them outside but I'm a little worried it is to early. What do you think?
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[cavemanrich]

I'm with you on letting them be out. It is quite warm, I personally would also discontinue the heat lamp. Now for some questions.... How many are there ??? Do they huddle together for warmth,??? Does their open coop give them protection from rain ??? Is there a wind break ??? Is it predator proof to also include snakes.??? ( not sure of your location ). You may consider putting in a box or crate inside if your chicks would want a secure cozy feeling.
Without seeing what your setup looks like, these questions entered my mind.
WISHING YOU BEST.

 

[lizziebeth66]

I have 8 red star pullets(At least they are supposed to be pullets)This is my open coop, we had not quite finished it yet in these pictures. It has hardware cloth all along the bottom now and we dug a trench and put some concrete around the bottom of the pen to keep anything from digging and getting in. We have also put up a wind breaker across the bottom section so that they can get out of the wind and sun. It is under a big shelter and so unless it just really storms and blows it under there, they shouldn't get wet. We will prob move their brooder box down or we have an old igloo dog house that I have considered putting in there but wouldnt be able to put the heat lamp in that like I would the brooder box. Which do you think would be best? I have not seen them huddling at all, even when we have taken them down to the coop and let them stay for a couple of hours.
Just wondering to what else do I need to do to make it snake proof? It is pretty secure I think, my husband really tried to make sure every hole was covered.

 

[lizziebeth66]

These are some pictures of my girls, getting harder to get pictures of them inside. As you can see as soon as I open the top everybody wants to hop out.

 

[azygous]

They certainly do not need the heat lamp any longer at your temps. Ditch that nasty thang!

They should do just fine moving into their new quarters. Chickens like cover when sleeping so I'm not sure how the chicks will react when night comes. Observe them at bedtime and they will give you an indication if there are any problems you need to address.

The problem with giving them the little igloo to sleep in is they'll become habituated to it and it will be hard to get them to learn to roost as long as they have it to sleep in. It's not a natural shelter for chickens of your breed, (Silkies, yes.) So I would hesitate to start them out with something you will just take away later.

As long as the run is covered and protected on the sides from which storms hit, they should be fine over the long haul.

 

[lizziebeth66]

They are supposed to be red star pullets. I hadn't really thought about that with the igloo.

 

[flippinggoldfis]

I put mine outside at 5 weeks. It was hot outside and they did very well.