Need to Go to the CooP

[mtstringer]

Hi all,
It has been a long time since I raised any chickens, actually it has been about 37 years. Then I lived in Massachusetts and we kept the chicks in a box in the basement with a work light over them for a bit then moved them outside. Different time, area and climate.

Now I live in Maine and I have 10 chicks in my basement under heat lamps in rubbermate boxes, times have changed. I finished building a coop last weekend and would like to move them to the coop but am not sure of the temperatures here in Maine yet. I woke up this am to 34 deg. and todays high is supposed to be near 50 deg. If I put the heat lamps out in the coop will it still be too cold for them out there. the coop is 6 x 8 and fully enclosed. Run door is blocked and egg door is locked.

Thoughs/Advice?

thanks
MT

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If your chicks have feathered out, are 4 weeks old, they'll do just fine without the light outside. If you wanted to turn the light on for real cold snaps I supose you could but they'll be fine with 30F nights without it.

 

[mtstringer]

Well they are not quite feathered out completely yet. I got them on March 14 + 16 th. and was told they were about 1 week old then so that puts them at just about 4 weeks old.

 

[SassyKat6181]

I am in Western Mass, and moved my chicks to the coop last week. Their hatch date was March 16, so they are 3 weeks. They have been doing just fine with their heat lamp hung about 2.5 ft off the floor. I think putting them in the coop sooner makes them feather faster.

 

[renovationmom]

I am sorry to bring up a question, on your question, but the reply to your question, while I believe is completely valid and true, , brings up a question I have. This may be breed specific, I am not sure. I live in Texas, and winter nights here rarely fall below 40(I have read about people keeping silkies that go out in the snow and rain). I only have silkie chickens. They do not roost. They sleep in piles on top of each other, even on the warmest of summer nights. It does not seem to matter if I have a heat lamp on or not, they still pile up(I have drafts sealed up about as good as you can get with an uninsulated, free standing enclosure) When I have placed fully feathered, 8 week old chicks in the coop, I have had some get crushed, or suffocated. I have seen the pile of adults emerge, with the smallest of chicks under them, and some do not survive. I know silkies are small to begin with, but I wonder how I can prevent it, and why is it only some of the chicks suffocating, and not the others?

 

[mtstringer]

Ok so I put the heat lamps in the coop and the girls have been in there since Sunday. They are about to the point that they are fully feathered. I have been turning the lamp out during the day with temps above 45 and turning it back on at night because temps are still going into the 30's. Any advice on when I can shut the lamps off for good?
thanks