So I picked up my Cochin Bantams today. I got a barred rooster, 2 black pullets & 1 blue pullet. Now the rooster was outside in an unheated, uninsulated coop type thing. So he is used to the cold, he is in my shed, with my free range bunny. The pullets though were in the mans basement. They are September 2010 hatch. Now I'm not really allowed to keep them in the house. I made up an excuse to my mom to let me keep them in the house till Monday. Would they be safe to go outside ? The breeder (?) told me I should wait till Spring. I can possibly get a heat bulb on Monday, so they could go in a guinea pig cage in our unheated tack room, with the heating lamp and blankets over the cage. Suggestions would be great ! Edit: It normally stays between 20 & 27. The shed is insulated. The water doesn't freeze solid most of the time, it just gets a layer of thin ice on top. There is no draft & you can feel a small temperature difference when you walk in there.
As long as the body has all of the feathers, they can handle colder temps, but I would still at least give them a 60 watt bulb for when they do get cold.
Hi, I'm pretty new to this as well, but I've done a lot of reading on how cold they can handle. This site has been awesome for information. I have chicks about the same age as yours, and I live in WI. They had some time to get used to the cooler weather, and they've adjusted fine. They are in an isulated coop with a heat bulb for when it gets really cold. Today it is 20 degrees, and I turned off the light, but I had it on when it was -10 last week. I would think that if you take some time to let them get used to the cold temps, and wean them off the heat lamp, they should do fine. I check mine a lot when I turn the light off, to see how they are doing, and so far they have been fine...no huddling together or anything. Good luck.
Mine are in a small cage in my basement right now with no heat lamp, but my basement is heated. They still seem to be huddling ? It could be because of the cage size though. :O
A heat lamp and a blanket is just asking for a fire. At 3 months old, they should be fully feathered and able to go outside. They may get a little chilly, but that is what all the fluff and feathers are for. ETA: You didn't say where you live. That info would be helpful for answers.
