My chicks are four weeks, are they ready?

[Henrik Petersson]

They have been in a separate but adjoining pen since they were 6 wks old..past few weeks i let them spend hours mingling with the adults,but put them back in their own coop at nite.....

If they could mingle without problems, I would say they are ready for a full transition. Kudos to you for treading so carefully.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

If they could mingle without problems, I would say they are ready for a full transition. Kudos to you for treading so carefully.

All went well till all the big girls went into their coop and the SLW's ran to their coop and wanted in..broke my heart to hear them cry, they were panic stricken...so i let them in their old coop....ill try again tomorrow

 

[feathermaid]

and how do you keep the feed separate..the older ones on layer feed, but the young ones are still on starter grower feed

My chicks get their chick feed inside their little brooder area where the big girls can't get it. I've decided not to feed layer anymore, no need. I always feed Flock Raiser or All Flock with oyster shell in a separate container for the laying age girls. I could switch to layer for part of the year once chicks are grown, but what's the point? Flock Raiser is the best feed for mixed ages and genders, has all the same nutrition (less calcium) plus a higher protein content to help chickens through molt in the fall and is also good for that extra boost to get through winter. But I don't think it would hurt bigger hens to eat grower, as long as they also get calcium/oyster shells in the meantime.

With my birds, I'll at least switch the Flock Raiser to the crumble version so it's easier for the chicks to eat. But normally I like pellets because there's less waste.

Sorry to hear your pullets are having some confusion integrating. That's the trouble with keeping them separate for too long... they become "homed" to the temporary location, but to them it's where they belong. You may have to actually lock them inside the main coop to re-train them... or just let them keep their own coop if that's a situation you can continue. If you know everyone is getting along fine, you could wait until after dark and move the pullets to the roosts in the main coop. Since they'll wake up in the morning in the "correct" area, they may want to return at roost time on their own after a few days of repetition. Good luck!

 

[ChickenFatHead]

4 weeks is fine outside unless it's really chilly but you do need to acclimate them to outdoor temperatures if they've been inside a temperature controlled environment all this time.

Can you define "really chilly"? What temperature range do you mean?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Can you define "really chilly"? What temperature range do you mean?

I'd be concerned if it was somewhere at/below freezing since that's a pretty big temperature jump from what people have indoors, and also that could make providing water an issue.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

I just moved my two bigger chicks outside yesterday for 'keeps'...super happy about that. They turned 4-weeks old yesterday, I'm thinking, or right before that, perhaps. The brooder is a lot cleaner without those two monsters, surprisingly.

What I did this year to adjust them to cooler weather was, I took their chick heating pad away at around 2 weeks, more or less. And then the past week they spent some time outside in the daytime. Their first time going out, I believe I had them out for around 30 minutes, maybe longer, then gradually they visited outside longer...in a dog crate in the sun to keep them warmer, and on the 22nd, they were outside just about all day; the 23rd I actually kept them inside, if I remember correctly, 'cause it was supposed to have rained, and I didn't want them outside in it. Then yesterday I took them back out to stay. They are in a fenced off part of the big girls' run...I'm doing the "see but no touch" method. I plan on introducing them with no fence at 6-weeks (but first letting them free range together at 5-weeks).

 

[ChickenFatHead]

My 4 chicks will be finishing their 4th week soon and am wondering if they can go in the coop unheated after that. The nights reach about 45F and the days reach mid 70s. They've been in an outdoor brooder initially with and IR lamp then only a heated pad the past week. Yea or nay to going unheated in a coop?

 

[rosemarythyme]

My 4 chicks will be finishing their 4th week soon and am wondering if they can go in the coop unheated after that.

If they have pretty decent adult feather growth they should be good to go.

 

[deanmarz]

Very good information here but I still have a few questions.
The chicks stayed in the dining room for the first week. They moved out to a heated shed (60F) for the second week. I used the heat lamp for the first few days and then turned it off for longer periods. They live at 60F and seem not to mind it always running and doing fun chick stuff until they are tired.
Last night I turned off the heat lamp and lights at 10pm and today at 6am I turned on the room light and they all ran for food and water. BTW it was pleasant last night, it only went down to 30F last night outside.
#1 is that too long to go without food?
#2 Is 60F warm enough without a heat lamp?
They will be starting their 3rd week tomorrow.

 

[feathermaid]

Very good information here but I still have a few questions.
The chicks stayed in the dining room for the first week. They moved out to a heated shed (60F) for the second week. I used the heat lamp for the first few days and then turned it off for longer periods. They live at 60F and seem not to mind it always running and doing fun chick stuff until they are tired.
Last night I turned off the heat lamp and lights at 10pm and today at 6am I turned on the room light and they all ran for food and water. BTW it was pleasant last night, it only went down to 30F last night outside.
#1 is that too long to go without food?
#2 Is 60F warm enough without a heat lamp?
They will be starting their 3rd week tomorrow.

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!