Moving chicks to the coop in cold weather?

[Agathe]

I have chicks that will be 4 weeks by the end of the week. The plan was to move them out to their coop sometime this week, but the temperatures have dropped. It might be down to 10 C during the day and 7 C at night at the lowest. I don't want to keep them indoors any longer than I have to, both because of the mess, but also because they're running out of room as they grow. I have a heat lamp in the coop and I also plan on bringing the heat plate, but the coop is about 3 square meters in floor space and I'm worried they'll get cold and not figure out how to get warm since they're not familiar with the new space. At the moment the chicken coop holds 17 C with the heat lamp on and it's a cold overcast day. The coop is insulated and predator proof. They won't go outside yet.

Would you move them? Can they handle the temperature change? It's about 24 C in the room they live in now and they have stopped using any extra heat sources a long time ago. They always sleep as far away from the heat source as possible. Or would you wait and move them until they are older/weather warms up. On the current forecast it seems to be a long time away until it gets warmer.

 

[Agathe]

Correction: I checked the temperature of the room they're in now and while the heater is set to 24, it's barely 21, more like 20 degrees in there, and they're still sleeping far away from the heating plate. That includes the smaller birds (orpington) that have less feathers than the bigger ones (australops/lohman mix).

 

[Mvan42]

They will find the heat if they are cold. But since they have feathers they should be fine. Put them near the heat so they know where it is and let them regulate it themselves.

 

[nao57]

Well most of the people here are US based, which means they use Fahrenheit temperatures not celcius. So it will confuse people and cut getting a response.

So... 10 degrees celcius = ~59 degrees fahrenheit. 7 degrees C = roughly 44 degrees fahrenheit. (Makes me curious about your location; Canada?)

I would suggest you could do this in stages, rather than all at once. Instead of having an absolute decision like 'I'll move them outside for now permanently', you could instead think like 'I'll move them outside during the day, but keep them inside at night for 2 more weeks'. Or you could also do it like I'll move them out for 2 hours first day. And then increase that time by a half hour a day until they are acclimated with it.

Personally I like the second option of slowly increasing it, rather than deciding you have to put them out now forever; and having them out in spurts when the days are warmer. But you could avoid putting them out on the cold days while acclimating them slowly. I don't like taking chances personally. I'd do a bit at a time in small increments. Maybe 1 more week they would be stronger, however, and have more down feathers.

Its generally warmest in the day from 1 PM to 4 PM. You could try that first in your acclimation window.

If the coop is 17 C, or roughly 62 F that's kind of close to what you could consider doable inside the coop.

How many chicks are there? Is there enough to do a group huddle for warmth?

 

[Agathe]

Well most of the people here are US based, which means they use Fahrenheit temperatures not celcius. So it will confuse people and cut getting a response.

So... 10 degrees celcius = ~59 degrees fahrenheit. 7 degrees C = roughly 44 degrees fahrenheit. (Makes me curious about your location; Canada?)

I would suggest you could do this in stages, rather than all at once. Instead of having an absolute decision like 'I'll move them outside for now permanently', you could instead think like 'I'll move them outside during the day, but keep them inside at night for 2 more weeks'. Or you could also do it like I'll move them out for 2 hours first day. And then increase that time by a half hour a day until they are acclimated with it.

Personally I like the second option of slowly increasing it, rather than deciding you have to put them out now forever; and having them out in spurts when the days are warmer. But you could avoid putting them out on the cold days while acclimating them slowly. I don't like taking chances personally. I'd do a bit at a time in small increments. Maybe 1 more week they would be stronger, however, and have more down feathers.

Its generally warmest in the day from 1 PM to 4 PM. You could try that first in your acclimation window.

If the coop is 17 C, or roughly 62 F that's kind of close to what you could consider doable inside the coop.

How many chicks are there? Is there enough to do a group huddle for warmth?

Thank you for your reply! There are 13 chicks so they can huddle together and help keep each other warm. Possibly they'll even raise the overall temperature of the coop, but I won't know until I try. Because they are 13 though, I'm slightly concerned about it being very labouring to keep bringing them in and out. They're already a handful when I'm cleaning the brooder and feeding them. I wouldn't be able to bring them in and out in one go. Then maybe it would be easier to wait until it gets warmer. I am in Northern Norway by the way, and the difference between farenheit and celcius is confusing to me too. We just had some really nice and warm days, so it's unfortunate that it passed.

 

[Mvan42]

At those Temps they will be fine. I didn't do the math to get exact Temps. When I posted above.

 

[Percheron chick]

Move them out.
I had my last batch of 25 3+4 week old chicks go directly from the feed store to subfreezing temps with only a heat plate without a hitch. There is warmth in numbers. One thing you can do is build a 3 sided barrier around the heat plate to capture the heat and create a slightly warmer space. If you will sleep better, put the secure heat lamp at the other end of the coop and let them decide. Turn the lamp off during the day and wean them off of it in a week.

 

[Agathe]

Move them out.
I had my last batch of 25 3+4 week old chicks go directly from the feed store to subfreezing temps with only a heat plate without a hitch. There is warmth in numbers. One thing you can do is build a 3 sided barrier around the heat plate to capture the heat and create a slightly warmer space. If you will sleep better, put the secure heat lamp at the other end of the coop and let them decide. Turn the lamp off during the day and wean them off of it in a week.

Oh, wow! I'll try to get them moved out sometime during the week. Thank you for the input!

 

[Ridgerunner]

It might be down to 10 C (50 F) during the day and 7 C (45 F) at night at the lowest

There are online converters that make this really simple. This is the one I use.

https://www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm

I have a heat lamp in the coop and I also plan on bringing the heat plate, but the coop is about 3 square meters in floor space and I'm worried they'll get cold and not figure out how to get warm since they're not familiar with the new space. At the moment the chicken coop holds 17 C (63 F) with the heat lamp on and it's a cold overcast day.

My brooder is in the coop. I put chicks in my 3' (1 meter) x 6' (2 meter) brooder straight from the incubator even if the outside temperature is below freezing. I use heat lamps and keep one end toasty but let the far end cool off as it will. Sometimes there is ice in the far end but they stay where it is warmer. When the outside temperature warms up enough for them to get too warm they go to the far end to stay cool enough. I find that straight from the incubator they are really good at regulating their temperature if they have the option.

As long as they have a warm enough space in the coldest temperatures and a cool enough place in the warmest of weather they should be fine even if a lot younger than yours.

To greatly reduce the fire risk, I strongly suggest you attach the heat lamp with wire of chain. Do not depend on the clamp that comes with the lamp. Do not use string or plastic that can burn or melt. Use wire or chain. Make very sure it cannot fall.

I've had chicks 5-1/2 weeks old go through nights in the mid 20's (-4 C) with no additional heat. These were raised in my brooder in the coop so they were exposed to low temperatures and were acclimated. The coop they stayed in had great open ventilation up high and great breeze control down low where they were. Yours are not ready for that yet but once they feather out they can handle colder temperatures pretty well.

 

[3KillerBs]

So... 10 degrees celcius = ~59 degrees fahrenheit. 7 degrees C = roughly 44 degrees fahrenheit.

Thanks for doing the math.

The 4-week-olds I was given were fully-feathered and off heat at that age. My nights were right about that temperature and they were fine outside.

But they should be weaned off heat in stages rather than dumped from warmth into cold.