Open air coop and 4 chicks (9 - 13 weeks old) - temp around 36 degrees tonight - need heat?

[TXchickmum]

We are in Texas, and the temps have been pretty warm until the past few days. We've experienced a range from 60s (night) to 80s (day).....and it recently has topped in the 50s with an expected temp of 36 this evening. -chicks have been in their outdoor coop since about 4 weeks of age. We've actually had fans on them in the daytime due to heat. Our coop is only enclosed on two sides with hardware cloth on two sides. Is a heat lamp necessary????? -only concerned because of the sudden/significant change.

 

[countrygoddess]

No, I think your chickens will be fine. Think about the sparrows and crows: they do just fine with sudden change and no one is holding a heat lamp over them. =)

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

At 9-13 weeks old, they ought to be well-feathered enough to withstand it just fine. Make sure that the hardware cloth side is out of the prevailing wind should you get rain. Dampness can make them unthrifty and listless. What kind of bedding is at the bottom and is there anywhere a gap between, say a nest box and the wall, that would allow them to crowd and suffocate one another? That is a concern if they haven't all gotten the hang of roosting. If you do have anything like a free-standing nest box, make sure it is tight to the wall with no room for them to pile up in the space between and accidentally suffocate the bottom of the pile.

 

[TXchickmum]

Thanks for the replies! The chicks did just fine last night!