My chicks are four weeks, are they ready?

[Rachel2019]

I left mine till 6 weeks because of there feather growth some had all the feathers except head and a couple were not growing as fast so I left them another week in (it was going to be 5 but left till 6 weeks)

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

How long does it take to acclimate? Mine are three weeks old.. they have been inside and it’s pretty warm in there.. I put them out to play on warmer days and they seem to get chilled fairly quickly.. I was gonna put them out tomorrow but put the heat light where they can warm up if needed.. also, have been turning the light off at times during the day..

Hello. My chicks are almost 4 weeks, it's supposed to finally hit 50 tomorrow and the next day. I wanted to take my indoor raised chicks outside for the first time. Would they be fine? Thanks for your invite.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Hello. My chicks are almost 4 weeks, it's supposed to finally hit 50 tomorrow and the next day. I wanted to take my indoor raised chicks outside for the first time. Would they be fine? Thanks for your invite.

Hi! I would let them out.. I moved mine out on the porch.. they stay in there during the night with the heat light nearby.. and during the day I put them in their little coop/run out on the lawn... if it’s cool I put the heat light on one end (on the outside) so if they get chilled they can warm up under it. But I’m thinking they should be fine without.. but if it’s windy they can still get chilled.... mine are almost 4 weeks too

 

[deanmarz]

How do you heat the shed to keep it at 60F?
Do you notice if they ever huddle together to stay warm?
It sounds like they're doing fine, and I love that you're letting them experience the dark at night, but if you're concerned about them being cold you could offer them a huddle box to help trap their body heat. You just might have to usher them inside when the lights go out so they can figure out how it works, though they might be old enough to not need it for much longer anyway.

Going without food for that long is no problem at all, remember that a broody mom and her chicks won't be eating anything at night either. Just make sure they get enough to eat during the day, evening is a good time to offer extra treats, to make sure their crops are full before going to sleep. I think you're doing great!

I heat the insulated room with a small oil filled radiator. $30 at Walmart.
They do huddle at night but daytime they are running around having fun.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Hi! I would let them out.. I moved mine out on the porch.. they stay in there during the night with the heat light nearby.. and during the day I put them in their little coop/run out on the lawn... if it’s cool I put the heat light on one end (on the outside) so if they get chilled they can warm up under it. But I’m thinking they should be fine without.. but if it’s windy they can still get chilled.... mine are almost 4 weeks too

Great, thank you. They are so obnoxious inside just like to get some energy out of them.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Great, thank you. They are so obnoxious inside just like to get some energy out of them.

Yes! If you have a way to put them on the grass.. wait till you see them running around and trying to “fly” .... they love it!

 

[sean_wonder]

I've read in some books that so long as they've grown in their "shoulder pad" feathers fully, they're ready to be outdoors. Just make sure to provide them a soft, dark space they can huddle together in while they acclimate to "adult" life.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Yes! If you have a way to put them on the grass.. wait till you see them running around and trying to “fly” .... they love it!

They already do that in my family room when we let them out for play time.

 

[RaZ]

Chicks tend to be a lot hardier than we give them credit for. Give them a few days without brooder heat and, if they seem to acclimate there(i.e. don't huddle up), give them some outside time with monitoring. BTW, I've noticed the faster you bring down the heat in your brooder the faster the chicks will feather out so it tends to be less of a matter of age as to when they can be allowed outside,

I like this reply
I have 10 chicks in the brooder in the house and they will being going out this weekend to the coop.
They are feathering out nicely so I raised the heat lamp to maximum yesterday. Today I turned it off before work. They all seem to be fine at room temperature (~70'F). They will stay in the house for now, with no heat lamp. I'll monitor them for the next few days and if they are doing well they will go out.
Come this weekend, I think they should be good to go outside to the big coop. The brood pen there has a heat lamp at one end and enough room to move to self-regulate their comfort area.

Whatever you decide to do, you should monitor their condition and make adjustments as necessary. Good luck.

 

[woodmort]

Yes! If you have a way to put them on the grass.. wait till you see them running around and trying to “fly” .... they love it!

No the thing to look for is when they start to play "chicken". Two will run at each other to see who will veer off first.