Moving outside/night time temps

[joskt0204]

My chicks are about four weeks old, one is fully feathered (the americauna) and two are nearly there (buff orpington and black australorpe). It's in the upper 60s at night, and I have a chicken tractor in the A frame style - run below and nesting boxes lined with straw above. The chicks have been out during the day but back in their brooder at night this week. When would you leave them out all night? These are my first chicks, and we are quite attached, but they are stinking up our extra room a bit at this point. I can hang my heat lamp on the chicken tractor, assuming it is going to be dry at night. The nesting boxes are dry and seem like they'd be warm.

 

[Fred's Hens]

If you have a garage, it would be a good transitional place. 4 weeks is too soon to be without some nighttime warmth, if their feathering isn't complete. Doesn't need to be 90, but 80 would be nice.

Yes, you can move them out, but the question I have is about your not being able to provide heat if it rains?
Can you clarify that? Also, you don't want to teach them to sleep in nesting boxes.

With lows only in the 70s, another week, and you'd be fine, because the little ones still need a touch of time to feather.

 

[joskt0204]

I have a heat lamp on their brooder inside at night still (although it's now well backed off from it), but it is 80+ during the day, so they are outside without artificial heat. I can put the heat lamp on the chicken tractor, but I hang it on the outside, for fear of starting a fire, and I'm assuming it shouldn't be hung up in the rain. I had it out there their first day or two outside, but they were staying away from it, so I haven't put it out recently.