Moving chicks to the coop

[KenK67]

Chicks are now 2 weeks old. Growing like weeds in the brooder. Have built an elevated 10x10 coop (Please see attached). Ventilation is created from open eaves and screened gable areas. Run will be surrounding the coop with plastic tarps. I intend to use deep bedding process with no additional insulation at this time. Teens and 20's are average lows in Missouri for January. Understanding these temps would be brutal if they are left out. Have an automatic door for installation. Is it even possible to move them out to the coop when they are 4 - 6 weeks old or should I just expect them to be in the basement through March 2023?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Before you use a brooder plate out there check with the manufacturer on the minimum temperatures they say to use it in. If it is not in the literature maybe an e-mail or phone call. Some recommend a minimum temperature of 50 F. I'm sure they will be extremely cautious but I'm not comfortable recommending a heating plate without that information. A properly set up heating pad can work too. And I totally agree, if you use a heat lamp do not depend on that clamp. Hold it in place with wire or chain so it cannot fall. Not string or plastic that can burn or melt but wire or chain.

I put chicks straight out of the incubator into my 3' x 6' brooder in the coop even when it is below freezing outside. I use a heat lamp and wrap the brooder pretty well in plastic, though I have good ventilation straight above. I keep one end plenty warm but occasionally find ice in the far end of the brooder.

To me the big challenge in brooding outdoors instead of in a climate controlled area are the temperature swings. I've seen it go from below freezing to in the 70's F in a day or the other way. Your brooder has to be able to handle those types of temperature swings. They need one spot warm enough in the coldest temperatures and a spot cool enough in the warmest temperatures. In a 10' x 10' coop you have the room to manage that with a heat plate, heating pad, or heat lamp. You might be surprised at how much time they spend in the cooler sections once they get a little older. That way they acclimate themselves to colder temperatures.

You have 17 and probably need heat for another two to three weeks. They grow fast. Especially if they are full-sized fowl chicks and not all bantams can your heat plate handle that. A lady that has used both a heating pad and a heat lamp said the heat lamp worked better for larger numbers.

Do not open the pop door until you are convinced they can handle those temperatures without any help. That should be around six weeks of age but with that much room later will not hurt. You may still have to teach them to go to bed in the coop at night. By housing them in the coop they should do that on their own but they don't always do what we think they should.

 

[Yardmom]

You do not need to wait until March to put your chicks in the coop. They could go out now with a heat source such as a brooder plate. If you don't want to put a heat source in the coop then wait until they are feathered out (6 weeks). You may want to acclimate them by taking them out for shorter times at first, Occasionally my broodies raise chicks in the winter. The mothers do not sit on them when they are six weeks old.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would put bedding in the coop, but keep the pop door closed for a while longer (maybe a few weeks, or maybe until the weather warms up in March-- it would depend on how sheltered the run is, and how much the chicks seem happy inside the coop. If they have plenty of space inside, they do not really need to go out into the run.)

x2 on this, they do NOT need to have run/yard access yet if the space isn't ready or it isn't feasible weather-wise, as long as they have plenty of room in the coop. How many chicks are there?

Assuming you can run power out there I would complete the brooding process in the coop. I wouldn't move the brooder itself, but rather use the coop as the brooding space. 2 week old chicks won't get lost in a 10x10 space if you spend a little time showing them where everything is inside the space, i.e. food and water and where they should go to warm up.

 

[aart]

Can you put the whole brooder in the coop?

 

[aart]

I could still having nothing in it. Additionally I can install the roost in case they want to experiment. My question would be if I did that, would I put in bedding and have the automatic door operational?

The point is to get them more space and acclimated to the outdoor temps but still have the heat they need.
...but I don't know just what that brooder looks like in whole.
Does it have a door you could open so they can got in and out of the heated space?
Can the heat be raised so they fit after 3-4 weeks?

 

[NatJ]

If you can put a heat source in the coop, check the temperature with a thermometer for a few days, and you can move them out as soon as you have part of the coop as warm as what they are used to. The whole coop does not need to be that warm, just one corner under a heat lamp or under a brooder plate.

They need a place to warm up, which should be big enough for all the chicks to snuggle in at once, but otherwise they should be fine running all around inside the coop in the cold. Keep the water close enough to the heat that it does not freeze. Yes, you could even move them out at their current age of 2 weeks, IF they have a spot that is warm enough. Some people brood chicks in their outdoor coop from the first day, in all kinds of weather, with an appropriate heat source.

My question would be if I did that, would I put in bedding and have the automatic door operational?

I would put bedding in the coop, but keep the pop door closed for a while longer (maybe a few weeks, or maybe until the weather warms up in March-- it would depend on how sheltered the run is, and how much the chicks seem happy inside the coop. If they have plenty of space inside, they do not really need to go out into the run.)

And yes, I probably would put up the roost so they can experiment with it, although it's not a big deal one way or the other.

 

[KenK67]

x2 on this, they do NOT need to have run/yard access yet if the space isn't ready or it isn't feasible weather-wise, as long as they have plenty of room in the coop. How many chicks are there?

Assuming you can run power out there I would complete the brooding process in the coop. I wouldn't move the brooder itself, but rather use the coop as the brooding space. 2 week old chicks won't get lost in a 10x10 space if you spend a little time showing them where everything is inside the space, i.e. food and water and where they should go to warm up.

There's 17. I can run power to it. In a couple of weeks the coop will be 100% and the run will be near finished barring water source due to Temps. Figure that will go in operation when they'll actually be outside. Thank you!

 

[KenK67]

If you can put a heat source in the coop, check the temperature with a thermometer for a few days, and you can move them out as soon as you have part of the coop as warm as what they are used to. The whole coop does not need to be that warm, just one corner under a heat lamp or under a brooder plate.

They need a place to warm up, which should be big enough for all the chicks to snuggle in at once, but otherwise they should be fine running all around inside the coop in the cold. Keep the water close enough to the heat that it does not freeze. Yes, you could even move them out at their current age of 2 weeks, IF they have a spot that is warm enough. Some people brood chicks in their outdoor coop from the first day, in all kinds of weather, with an appropriate heat source.


I would put bedding in the coop, but keep the pop door closed for a while longer (maybe a few weeks, or maybe until the weather warms up in March-- it would depend on how sheltered the run is, and how much the chicks seem happy inside the coop. If they have plenty of space inside, they do not really need to go out into the run.)

And yes, I probably would put up the roost so they can experiment with it, although it's not a big deal one way or the other.

Great suggestion! Thank you!

 

[KenK67]

At your chick's age, they're way too young to be in that type of cold. If you are able to keep them in your basement until March, that would be the easiest, simplest, and safest thing to do. If not, here's what you can do:

As they feather out, lower their temperature 5°F each week until they're at the outside temperature's temps. (10°F if you're in an extreme hurry.) You'll want them fully feathered before they go out. Because the deep litter won't be there until they're out there, everytime you clean their current space out, but their litter in the coop. Stir it up every couple of days and watch the inside temps of the litter itself.

I strongly suggest to keep them inside until March if you are able to. Another idea though, is to put a heat lamp in the coop with them if you need them out now. If putting a heat lamp in the coop, be sure it's strongly secured! Coop fires happen every year due to heat lamps, so be sure it's strongly secured! Then go from there by rising the heat lamp a little higher each week. That's so your going 5°F down each week until they're at the outside temperatures.

Your concern with a heat lamp is mine as well, but the concept is great! I'm not necessarily in a hurry but was interested in getting them adapted to the coop with the roost and a larger area to move around in. Can't reasonably believe they will be comfortable after 4 weeks in the brooder.