my! how they've grown . . .

[fargosmom]

It's amazing how fast their palatial cardboard condo has become a little . . . shall we say cramped? We'll have the coop finished this weekend and not a second too soon!
Here they were at the start:

then a couple of weeks later:

and now at approx. 6 weeks:

Yikes! They've graduated to a bigger perch twice and now when they line up on it they span the whole carton!!

Any advice on the transition? It's in the 50's at night outside lately and mid-60 in their box in the house.

 

[SussexInSeattle]

you dont say if there is a coop for them or? They should be fully feathered to go outside in a sheltered coop and the night temps should not dip below 40 until they are feathered.

 

[gumpsgirl]

I know they will be happy to have their coop done this weekend and you will be too! They are lovely chicks, BTW!

As for the transition, I would go ahead and start leaving the heat lamp off for periods of time during the day and when it gets dark. That way they can become acclimated to the dark and not having that heat lamp for warmth. They will be seven weeks or around there when you move them out, right? With the temps. in the 50's at night, they should be fine out in their new coop without the heat lamp. By this point, they are fully feathered and should stay nice and warm on their own.

 

[fargosmom]

Yep - come hell or high water we're finishing the coop this weekend. I've already turned off the heat lamp and they seem fine - they've got feathers all over and they fluff up like little footballs on their roost. I know they really want out of the box, so it's going to be really fun to turn them loose in their new home! Oh and thanks gumpsgirl - I think they're really pretty too. I had no idea how cool chickens could be!!