Newbie in Tacoma Washington!

[krscott21]

Hi there,

I have my first flock of nine chicks. They are 4 weeks old. One Wyandotte, two sexlinks,two buff orpingtons and three americanas. My chicks are busting out of there brooder. When can I put these little guys outside? And how do you all recommend I do it. I have one of those plastic coops from omelet btw.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! What is your weather like? If you can keep a spot in the coop warm enough for them, using the heat lamp or something, you can put them outside at any time, at four weeks they are probably still not fully feathered and will still need some supplemental heat. You usually want to lock them in the coop for a couple of days so they consider it home, watch to be sure they know how to get back in the coop from the run, and if you leave the door open to the run be sure to check that they went inside at night for a couple of weeks. You might like to check out the Learning Center, lots of great chicken raising articles including a number on raising chicks https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

 

[Duckopolis]

I'm new too, but

. Good luck with your chicken adventures.

 

[Odelia]

The most important thing is how is the weather in your area? The general rule of thumb is that chicks can go outside between 6-8 weeks of age. The warmer the weather the sooner they can go out the colder it is the longer you have to wait. You also don't want it to be a huge change in temperature for them. You want to have them adjust to not having a heat lamp in the brooder before you stick them out in the cold. Can you move them to a larger brooder? If not you can put them outside in the coop during the day when it is warmer and put then back in the brooder at night until they get a little older. Good luck!

 

[JBJ Poultry]

 

[TwoCrows]

Kelsie has left you with a good link to the learning center. This will help you when it comes time to move your babies outside. And yes, it depends on your weather. If you have a place you can keep them in that has solid sides and flooring, and your weather is not brutally cold, you might be ok with taking the heat lamp outside with the babies and continue out there. Don't let them get any drafts or you can kill them. Make sure to permenantly attach your heat lamp so it does not fall and cause deaths or a fire.

Welcome to BYC and enjoy all your new babies!

 

[krscott21]

Thank you sooooo much everyone. I really appreciate the replays and support!

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

 

[gander007]