Need advice...going outside for the first time?

[poultryman17]

i believe the escape artist comment. Had one already hop on top of the waterer, then hop up on the other brooder to check out all the commotion. (24 little little ones). Was waiting for her to hop on in. Reminded me of a hawk just waiting to select her victim!

 

[ClareScifi]

I read a Chicken Blog last week, and it said that leghorns are one of the most intelligent chicken breeds, very clever. Their eggs are perfect for dying for Easter!

 

[NYChicks345]

I have done it many times without a problem.... If they get cold they will let you know by their loud distressed chirp

 

[ButchGood]

Reading all of your stories is making me so excited to let my girls outside! I must confess, once they are in their coop, I will miss them in the house

........They are only 2 weeks, so I have a bit more time

Nah, You need to take them out now if its a nice day. Here in Texas its been 50's and 60's at night and lower 80's for the daytime highs. Ive been taking them out for 5 to 6 hours a day everyday since the were 14 days old. I saw a big difference in them. They are definatly happier and when they get back in the brooder at night they sleep hard. I wish I could keep the heat lamp off all night. They don't wake when its dark, and even with a red light I don't see them really crash, they just nap,eat,nap eat, poop, nap. But when its dark they dont move. You just hear some soft peeps.
But yeah, Take them out now if you can.

 

[twinzmom]

Our chicks are now 4 1/2 weeks old and we took them out again today. The temperature was colder at 45 degrees (we had a little snow yesterday) but they were all fine. Then while Jim and I were working on the chicken run, I saw a hawk circling 2 house down and decided that was close enough. They do seem to really be happy outside so we are looking forward to the day when we can take them out and leave them there. I probably wont get much sleep that first nite though.

 

[gardendufus]

Well, mine have been out in the coop since the day the feedstore received them and I picked them up, 4 - 4 week olds and 2 - 1 week olds . Friday, I finished putting the bird netting up so decided to open the POP door for the first time and let them out. Hmmmm, where was the excitement about getting out? Got tired of waiting on them, so went into the coop, caught one, gently tossed her outside. Went after the next one and tossed her out, only to find out the first had come right back in. Caught her again and tossed her out - now 2 outside. Went for another, but by this time the birds left weren't having ANYTHING to do with me and an 8 X 10 coop is a lot of room for the 4 remaining birds to run/fly around in. I gave up.......and incendentally the two that were outside had come back in again. Oh well, try again on Saturday.

Pop door opens up at 6 am. I'm outside with my dogs and a book by 8 am, waiting for the great exodus. Dogs hear the birds peeping. Can you say "intense tension". Sat all day. Birds would come to the door, look out, turn around go back in. At 3:00 pm I had a brilliant idea, treats offered through the open POP door. Treats got them to the door. It made them happy and excited. AS LONG as they didn't have to leave the coop to get them. Treats were a bust. So I sat for the rest of the afternoon. at 6:30, they finally made a short (VERY short) foray down the ramp. Never went more than a foot from the ramp. After 10 minutes, back inside never to return again. SIGH!

Ok, same routine today. Treats offered a 9 am. Ok, THIS time they were worth coming outside for, at least for my 2 barred rocks. My BA's, once again weren't having any of it. My Jack Russell mix, however, wanted ALL of them. Birds went back into the coop for the day. Spent the rest of the day doing a little dog training around the coop (Settle, Leave, Settle, Leave, Down, Off, Settle, Leave..........SIGH just like she was a puppy again.)

BUT at 4:30, someone in the coop made the decision that it was time to EXPLORE! So out come 5 of my 6 chicks, leaving only a week old Welsummer in the coop cheeping her distress call. After about 5 minutes, she gave up and followed the others. The next 3 hours were spent exploring their new habitat. Happy chicks, happy MOM. Never thought it would be so hard to get them outside. So happy it happened. Wish me luck for tomorrow.

 

[twinzmom]

LUCK!
hmmmm you must have made that coop really nice for them to want to just sit inside...
I am hoping our weather warms up this week while I am home so they can go out several days.

 

[gardendufus]

Sigh, even luck won't entice them out in the windy (and I mean 30-40 mph sustained wind) 40 degree weather today. Oh well, supposed to be 60 on Wednesday. Hope they remember how much fun it was outside.

 

[laul28]

My 9 chicks have been inside, but they were getting so big the brooder was getting too small and cramped, or at least I thought so. The sun was actually out, and with some pushing to move them outside from my husband, they are now outside. I moved them to a rather large dog kennel run with a smaller crate and a heat lamp inside. They loved it and were busy all afternoon, but when I went to move them to the smaller crate with the light and more protection, they were not having it. Put two in, catch two more, out come the two. Thank God I only have 9. All in and I know I will be spending a sleepless night checking on them to see all is well. I sure do miss their little peeps coming from the spare room.

 

[MaMaBikerChic]

Howdy. Ours are about 3 weeks old and for the last week, as long as it was over 70, we've been taking them out to a pen we made for a hour or so. Made the pen big enough for the wife and girls to get in and put a tote on its side with shavings in it. When they start getting tired or chilled they crawl up on ya or go into the tote and huddle up. Play times over.