Moving mixed chicks outside to coop

[Coop's Coop]

My son has 4 chicks total, 1 speckled sussex, 1 buff brahma and 2 splash silkies. The big girls are 4.5 weeks old and the silkies are about 3.5 weeks old. They are in a large furniture box brooder in the living room with a heat lamp and pine shaving floor. It's been getting cool at night, probably 68F in the house...yes this is cool for So Cal. Lol! I keep moving their heat lamp further away and they seem to have times when they are under it and times when they are not. I'd LOVE to get them out in their coop before Thanksgiving when my home will be filled with family for 3-4 days and we will have a curious toddler under foot. Outside temps dip to high 50's at night. Is it too soon to move them all outside? I think the big girls would be ok but the silkies just seem so delicate. Should I move the big girls to the coop and keep the silkies indoors a bit longer? Not sure what to do because of the silkies. I'd love some advice on what is the best way to transition this mixed bag of chicks to the outdoors. Thanks!

 

[Hufflefluff]

Are they going outside during the day at all? High fifties is probably a little too cold to move them directly outside, but if you work on getting them acclimated to outdoor temps then you should be able to have them outside at least all day in a week~ish- right before Thanksgiving.The other option would be to heat the coop, but I'd do more research on this before trying it- I know that it introduces a risk of fire, and as such I've never tried it. I've never had silkies, and so I can't tell how feathered they are, but it seems to me that they could benefit from a few more weeks inside, at the very least at night. From a cursory google search, it seems like temps should be in the 70s during the day for you this week? If so, that's fine for your 4.5 week olds- they might be little chilly, but should finish feathering out quickly. So there should be no issue with having them outside during the day, especially over Thanksgiving while you have family in town. As Thanksgiving is still over a week away, the silkies *might* be old enough by then to go outside too. Best of luck with whatever you go with!

 

[Coop's Coop]

Thanks so much. I may just have to try putting them out in the day if it's nice and bring them in at night. They get daily trips outside and I leave the door open most of the day so that the living room is the same temp as the outside. Trying to acclimate them. They still have the heat lamp on their brood box though. I guess I'll wait and see what the weather is doing. Just watch...we will get a cold snap and I'll have to keep them indoors all day throughout the holiday! They are dusty little buggers! Lol!

 

[debid]

Do you have electricity in the coop? If not, do you have an exterior grade extension cord that will reach? All they need at this point is a small place to warm up in and you can probably provide that in their coop. Just do be careful since you're heating with light not to overheat the enclosure and to triple secure that light so it cannot fall into the litter. You shouldn't need more than 100W and should be able to put it on a timer to provide heat in the evenings only. At this point, the sun will be enough all day.

 

[Coop's Coop]

Do you have electricity in the coop? If not, do you have an exterior grade extension cord that will reach? All they need at this point is a small place to warm up in and you can probably provide that in their coop. Just do be careful since you're heating with light not to overheat the enclosure and to triple secure that light so it cannot fall into the litter. You shouldn't need more than 100W and should be able to put it on a timer to provide heat in the evenings only. At this point, the sun will be enough all day.

Yes I have an extension cord goin to the coop so I was thinking that a heat source would be good. Just a regular 100 watt bulb is enough to warm them though? Would the use of a heating pad in the corner be a good idea, covered in towels of course?

 

[JeanR]

Get rid of the HEAT LAMP as soon as possible. Too many coops and homes have burned down by use of HEAT Lamps. With just a few chicks, a 60-75W bulb will give them all the heat they need, and it is so easy to lay a small thermometer on the floor of their box to KNOW that you are not cooking them. And do not think they are going under the heat lamp to warmup--they may be moving out from under it to stop cooking! Dear babies, will adjust to temperatures as they feather and grow--love them!

 

[debid]

If you have a heating pad that either doesn't have automatic shut-off or has the ability to set it to continuous use, the mama heating pad thread is your new best friend. Do a quick search for it, there are loads of pictures. I was able to heat chicks in sub-freezing temperatures with a $13 pad and at 50W, it's much more efficient for small groups than bulbs.

 

[Coop's Coop]

Get rid of the HEAT LAMP as soon as possible. Too many coops and homes have burned down by use of HEAT Lamps. With just a few chicks, a 60-75W bulb will give them all the heat they need, and it is so easy to lay a small thermometer on the floor of their box to KNOW that you are not cooking them. And do not think they are going under the heat lamp to warmup--they may be moving out from under it to stop cooking! Dear babies, will adjust to temperatures as they feather and grow--love them!

They have a thermometer in the box below their heat lamp and are definitely not too hot. They have plenty of room to get out of the heat and the lamp is very secure. There’s no way it would fall into the brooder box. I’m definitely not cooking them and checking their temp many times a day. It’s a 150 watt bulb I’m using, not the hot 250 watt. I’ve been backing off their heat weekly. They seem to all be fine in 75F temps or cooler now.

 

[Coop's Coop]

If you have a heating pad that either doesn't have automatic shut-off or has the ability to set it to continuous use, the mama heating pad thread is your new best friend. Do a quick search for it, there are loads of pictures. I was able to heat chicks in sub-freezing temperatures with a $13 pad and at 50W, it's much more efficient for small groups than bulbs.

Ok great! Maybe that will work for giving them a warm corner in the coop for a few more weeks while the Silkies get their feathers. It was 83F today so as long as the weather stays nice like this maybe I’ll try putting them out in the coop next Monday.

 

[lazy gardener]

The silkies are your main concern. Topics for you to look at

Mother heating pad cave brooder: there is a thread and article, both penned by Blooie.
Wool hen
Huddle box

If you give them one of the above options, train them to it while they are in your house. And monitor them initially so you can be sure they "remember" to go to their heat source when they are cold. Some times they "forget".

I think you can easily move them out to the coop at this point as long as you have a heat source for the silkies. They should be weaned off the night time heat in your house first. That way you can monitor them!

Be sure your run is predator proof and the wire is tight enough that the silkies can't escape. Also do a fine comb inspection to be sure there are no spots where they could get stuck or strangled.