Moving from indoor brooder to coop?

[ZaneyMama]

My 8 chickies will be 6 weeks old this week. They are fully feathered and we are just finishing up their coop.

Right now, they live inside in a large dog crate. I turn their heat lamp off during the day and on at night. It's a 125 watt red flood light bulb.

Our house is kept at 68 degrees.

Can I turn the lamp off off at night soon?

Should I keep a light on for them so they can see and don't freak out at night?

When I move them to the coop, should I heat it?

When can I move them out there? It'll be fully insulated.

When can I let them roam around outside in their roofed run? I'm in Colorado - it still freezes every night and will for another 6 weeks. During the day, it's been getting up to 55-70 degrees some days, but it's still chilly in the shade and we are still expecting more snow.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

I have my 4 week old chicks outside right now in a draft proof brooder. It gets in the mid 60s at night and high 70s during the day. They seem fine.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

They should be able to outside now. IF they are fully feathered. You might want to put a light in the coop at night if it gets that cold. I have babies in my grown out house and I still have a light on them at night. They are 5-6 weeks old. I dont see any problems with them being outside during the day either. They will love the run. I put my 8 week olds in the run yesterday and they immediatlly dug down in the dirt and took dirt baths. To bad it rained all night and day now their run is a massive puddle, but they were outside iin it as well.

 

[Tikka]

I'm starting to consider this, but the weather is pretty iffy. We are in the mountain west also. They are in a cardboard brooder and starting to tear it up kind of bad.

 

[Tikka]

I'm starting to consider this, but the weather is pretty iffy. We are in the mountain west also. They are in a cardboard brooder and starting to tear it up kind of bad.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

I have a group that hatched the 1st week of March...this weekend they have been outside with me each day for a few hours in the warmest part, about 55-60F, in an x-pen. They have made a pit for mini dirt baths

Then I put them in the brooder I built in the coop with the heat lamp on 24/7. If they don't need it they just stay on the other side, but I like to have it on all the time in case.
Just make super sure they can easily find their way up the ramp from the run to the coop...don't want them getting stuck outside if they're cold.

 

[ZaneyMama]

How do you run electricity to the coop? Can I just put my brooder light in the coop with an extension cord to the house?

 

[Shelly_WNC]

you can try taking them outside on a 'field trip' so you can see how they react with the day temperature.

I was just 'busting' to take them outside at 4 weeks old ... and the first two days they barely last 30 minutes before I could tell they were cold and wanted back in the heated broader. On there 2nd outdoor adventure I left their 'cardboard' box outside when I let them have their 'field trip' and before 30 minutes was up all 11 of them were crammed back in the box looking to get warm, I think it was about 55 degrees out. So ... the point is they will let you know if they like it out there.

good luck and let us know how it goes ....