New to keeping chickens, bought 4 new chicks,

[james2788]

Hi Everybody,

Name's James from North Wales UK, just moved in to our new place and had enough land so built myself a coop to house 4 chickens, could make it 6 if i want but prefer to give the birds more room.

I recently purchased 4 Peckin chicks 11th April 2015, i was told they were 1-2 weeks old, now since i had them they were kept in a aviary by my friend who kept budgies, so having these there i knew they would be warm as the weather here can be a bit cold here. If my maths add up they should be around 5 weeks now, they have grown a bit bigger but i am unsure as to what age they actually are, they have feathers and tend to jump and fly a bit, but i am not sure if they are ready for the coop outside yet, or should i keep them in a few more weeks till they are bigger.




This is the smallest of the lot, she is called "Martha" girlfriend chose the name


and this is the biggest,


the rest


thanks
James

 

[WindyHillFarm]

Hi James!
With feathers in, your chicks are ready to start exploring outside. You'll want to keep them warm at night and during cold weather. The best way I've found is to use a product called hot hands. I'm not sure if they're available where you are, but essentially they are little oxygen activated heat packs that produce heat for 10 hours. I wrap two of them in a soft rag each night and put them in with the birds so they have a place to snuggle up. I discard the whole pack in the morning. These cost about 72 cents per pack in America...we buy them at stores that carry camping supplies.
Best of luck with the chicks!