Out of the brooder and into the coop ?

[AnotherKim]

My husband is putting the finishing touches on the coop and I hope to introduce my babies to it tomorrow. I've determined that they are between 6 and 7 weeks old and tney are getting too big for the brooder.
At what age did you put your chicks in the coop ? Do you slowly introduce them, or did you just throw them in tnere and leave them?
It's still pretty hot here and humid from tne Monsoon rain. Should I just put them out for a couple of hours and then bring them back in? It's not as if my house is much cooler than the coop. We have a swamp cooler which is pretty much useless during Monsoon Season, lol.

 

[Brandi Leigh]

I wait until my chicks are fully feathered. Then I put them all in the coop at once and that is where they live out their lives.

 

[SobbaChickens]

At 4wks my pullets went into a dog crate brooder out in my garage. Depending on the day they either spent all or most of the day in their brooder or they spend some or all of the day in an enclosed small run I built. It's a lot hotter now and there is no way I could have left them in the garage all day.

So, do you have a run that they could spend their days in?

From what I have read the "best" way to get chicks into the coop is to put them in and completely lock them in for at least 3 days. This allows the chicks to see the coop as home and helps them go in to roost at night.

And if it's hot then you don't need to worry about them being fully feathered. I think you are good to go.

 

[NC Chick Man82]

my bids go into the coop from day one, no introducing other then when i put them in it when i bring them home! It will not hurt them in anyway as long as you can maintain proper temperature for them and supply them with food, water and safety

 

[Chickens R Us]

I would say your chicks are plenty old enough to go into coop, just make sure they have enough water and shade. Do you have a run?

 

[SharynJoy]

I like the idea of just having them in the coop for a few days...it's no different than the brooder for the most part. We didn't transition our first babies right, and i want to get it right with this new batch!

I've been doing lots of reading, and I've realized that lights around the run and in the coop are very important, as they can't see in the dark & get frightened very easily.

And wire mesh, not chicken wire. That was our big mistake.

 

[David A]

I built a convertible chicken tractor with a hutch/brooder on one end. The hutch converts into a brooder and vice-versa. They get a week to 10 days in the brooder for my White Rocks, then out into the tractor. Granted I have a heat lamp for them. But I try to make brooder time short.

 

[AnotherKim]

Thanks everyone. I do have a small run. I thought I would put them in the run for a few hours every day during the cooler hours. My biggest concern is the heat. My second concern s my dogs. I have an Italian Greyhound, a chiuaha, and a Shepard/chow mix and they are dying to tear into my chickens.My coop is very secure, but my run needs some tweaking. I plan to plant cactus all around the run. That's happening this week.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll put the chicks out tomorrow and see how they do.

 

[petercamero]

i put mine in the coop at about 6 weeks at the start of winter here in adelaide and they have been fine

 

[petercamero]

i put mine in the coop at about 6 weeks at the start of winter here in adelaide and they have been fine