Welcome to BYC! I'm also in Northern VA. A bit outside the scary part but not by much. Sounds like you're in the area where I grew up so I understand the weather fluctuations and your concern. Today it went from sweater weather to cold with horrific wind here and I'm betting you got it even worse.
I had chicks in the spring so it was a bit easier as it was getting warmer as they were venturing out. If your chicks have been with a heat lamp this entire time, I think I'd try to wean them off it before putting them out with no heat at all. You could change the bulb to a lower wattage or move it further from the brooder. You can find a lower wattage red bulb in the reptile section at the pet store. If the brooder is of such type that it's helping to contain the heat, you might want to leave them in it a few days after all heat is removed before moving them to roost.
I attempted to acclimate my girls to the approaching cooler weather by having coop windows open at night so they'd gradually get used to the temp changes. No heated coop for me. Fully feathered and acclimated birds don't need it. It just adds to your electric bill and - biggest factor - increases the risk of losing your entire coop and flock to fire. Plus, if they get used to the heat and your electric goes out, then you've got a big problem.
I see where someone mentioned BOSS as a good treat with decent protein and I give that to my girls, too. I also give them cooked kidney beans and cooked split peas which some of them like and some not so much. They eat meat scraps but I don't give them chicken and I stay away from salty, processed foods - such as bacon. [Like there's ever any left over bacon . . . HA!]
Deep Litter - I do it and I love it. Did it when I first got my girls last year and over last winter. It worked really well. Built a new, larger coop this summer and began using sand as it comes so highly recommended. Didn't like the sand - found it much more work and time consuming than deep litter - and ripped it all out of the coop and went back to deep litter. But - hey - that's just me. I use pine shavings and raked leaves and there's no smell, even first thing in the morning. Throw in some BOSS and the girls scratch and turn the litter looking for it. It's Win-Win!
Good luck with your flock! Oh, there's also a Virginia thread on BYC that discusses VA poultry events and such. You might find that interesting.
Edited to add link to VA thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/80/virginia
I had chicks in the spring so it was a bit easier as it was getting warmer as they were venturing out. If your chicks have been with a heat lamp this entire time, I think I'd try to wean them off it before putting them out with no heat at all. You could change the bulb to a lower wattage or move it further from the brooder. You can find a lower wattage red bulb in the reptile section at the pet store. If the brooder is of such type that it's helping to contain the heat, you might want to leave them in it a few days after all heat is removed before moving them to roost.
I attempted to acclimate my girls to the approaching cooler weather by having coop windows open at night so they'd gradually get used to the temp changes. No heated coop for me. Fully feathered and acclimated birds don't need it. It just adds to your electric bill and - biggest factor - increases the risk of losing your entire coop and flock to fire. Plus, if they get used to the heat and your electric goes out, then you've got a big problem.
I see where someone mentioned BOSS as a good treat with decent protein and I give that to my girls, too. I also give them cooked kidney beans and cooked split peas which some of them like and some not so much. They eat meat scraps but I don't give them chicken and I stay away from salty, processed foods - such as bacon. [Like there's ever any left over bacon . . . HA!]
Deep Litter - I do it and I love it. Did it when I first got my girls last year and over last winter. It worked really well. Built a new, larger coop this summer and began using sand as it comes so highly recommended. Didn't like the sand - found it much more work and time consuming than deep litter - and ripped it all out of the coop and went back to deep litter. But - hey - that's just me. I use pine shavings and raked leaves and there's no smell, even first thing in the morning. Throw in some BOSS and the girls scratch and turn the litter looking for it. It's Win-Win!
Good luck with your flock! Oh, there's also a Virginia thread on BYC that discusses VA poultry events and such. You might find that interesting.
Edited to add link to VA thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/80/virginia
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