Moving young ones outside in winter

[Angieschickens]

Hello there I have almost 9 week old Easter Egger checks that have been in my garage in a brooder. I have raise the heat lamp up about 18 to 20 inches and some days I turn it off completely during the day . I live in a mountain town where our temperatures now are high about 40 and low about 5 to 15°. I also have an existing flock of buff Orpington‘s and wondering when I can introduce my new flock to the old flock and also considering these temperatures I feel a little lost. I didn’t really want to get chicks in the fall but considering out of my 4 Orpington‘s only two are really consistently laying so I really need some more eggs. If I can get any help on when I can move those new girls out with the old girls and if it’s safe to do in these temperatures any info would be appreciated.

 

[azygous]

You have two issues. Acclimatization and integration. They are best accomplished gradually.

Next time you brood chicks, turn off the heat lamp during the day when they reach three weeks. They have enough feathers by then not to need a daytime heat source. So first step is to turn it off now. Let them start getting used to cool temps.

The second step is to introduce the chicks to the adult flock. It's best to have a see/no touch enclosure so the chicks are safe. Let them spend the warm part of the day outside. This acclimatizes them to both temperature and exposes them to the adults.

Many of us brood right in our run and chicks grow up under the scrutiny of the adult flock. But it's also possible to brood indoors and let the chicks start spending part of the day outside when they're two weeks old.

Gradually increase time spent outdoors, and by the time chicks are five weeks old, they can move into the coop with the adults. The secret to safe and smooth integration is having a safe refuge where the chicks can escape to when hounded. Food and water is inside this enclosure that has chick-size entrances. The enclosure serves the chicks until they reach about ten weeks, since by then, they are nearly as large as the adults.

I would not start this little adventure until after this arctic front gets through with us, though.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hello there I have almost 9 week old Easter Egger checks that have been in my garage in a brooder.

How cold does it get in that garage? I don't know if you open and close that garage door but there is a good chance they have not needed that heat lamp for a few weeks even if you do open that door. If it gets cold enough that would be a good way to acclimate them.

At nine weeks they should survive even those low temperatures, provided their coop or brooder has decent ventilation but they are also protected against a direct breeze hitting them. They will be more comfortable if they are acclimated but they are as feathered out as your adults. I don't know what you do special for your adults in those temperatures. Even when it gets below 0 F I do nothing for mine except give them the chance to stay in out if they want to.

I also have an existing flock of buff Orpington‘s and wondering when I can introduce my new flock to the old flock and also considering these temperatures I feel a little lost.

I don't know what your facilities look like, that can make a difference. How much room do you have in the coop, how much room in the run, and when is any run room available? You only have 4 adults which often means space is pretty tight. My brooder is in the coop so the chicks grow up with the flock. So my integration starts when they go in the brooder after hatch and I usually have them roaming around by five weeks. But I have a lot of room inside and outside and that outside room is available pretty much any time they are awake. I don't think you have that.

Without knowing what your facilities look like and what you have to work with it's hard to come up with any specific recommendations but some generic things we do is to house them across wire for a while to get them used to each other, give them as much room as you can, maybe improve the quality of what room you have by adding clutter (things for them to hide under, behind, or get over), and provide widely separated feeding and watering stations hopefully out of line of sight. If there is enough size differences in the ages you may be able to use the safe haven/panic room concept where you have openings that the chicks can get through but the adults cannot so the chicks can mingle as they want or stay safe.

You can start this process as soon as you wish. Build a pen that the adults can't get into and put the chicks in there. I don't know when you can start letting them mingle, that depends on a few different things. It will be probably harder to integrate in the winter, not because the chickens are cold but because they may not have access to the outside room because of wind or snow.

 

[Angieschickens]

Wow thanks for all the info ! So we sectioned off apart of our run so the flocks can see each other for the last 3 days . So far my older gals could care less about them one got in and just hung out no problem at all . I have kept them out all day and all seems well so far . My coop is big enough for all of them and I have always let my older gals roam around outside the run . tomorrow I may try to have them mingle

 

[McChooky]

Wow thanks for all the info ! So we sectioned off apart of our run so the flocks can see each other for the last 3 days . So far my older gals could care less about them one got in and just hung out no problem at all . I have kept them out all day and all seems well so far . My coop is big enough for all of them and I have always let my older gals roam around outside the run . tomorrow I may try to have them mingle

I kept mine in the run with the other chickens since they were 2 weeks old (look but don't touch brooder) They were easy to acclimate in the run because the only warm spot they had was under the light . I eventually had to fence off one section for the chicks because one hen in particular loved to chase them . My goal was to have a peaceful flock so I've went out of my way to make it easy for all of them.