Moving Outside

[urabus]

My chicks are approx. 5 weeks old and getting rowdy in their box in the basement. I've already expanded it once. I was going to put them outside in the coop this week, but it's turned cooler. Will they be ok if I put them in the coop when temps are in the 60's during the day and lows in the upper 30's/low 40's? The coop is 4x4. I let them out in a fully enclosed pen during the day and they love it. They just need bigger quarters but I don't want them to freeze. Help?

 

[RonC]

Daytime they would be fine. Depnds on the temp where they have been kept and how feathered out they are. Wouldn't want to shock them too much. If coop is free from drafts you could probably put a small (60w) light in the coop for some extra heat and be ok. Wouldn't put a heat lamp as that would probably be too much at their age. Mine were out in 45 degree weather at that age. They just slept close to each other to stay warm with no other heat source.