Outdoor Temperature for Chicks

[hatchingisfun]

We got day old Golden Comet chicks 1 month ago. They have been in a large cardboard box in the garage with a heat lamp. But the dust they are creating is awful ! and the house is starting to smell like a chicken coop. If it was July, I wouldn't be aftraid to put them outside in the coop, but our nights are getting down to 32 and our days are about 50. When are they old enough to take the colder temperatures in the coop ? Also, we have some mature Buckeye chickens that we hatched this last spring. Eventually we would like to mix these chicks with them. When is a good time to mix them ?

 

[RonC]

Usually about 5-6 weeks when they are fully feathered they can stand lower outside temps. At a month old they shouldn't need very much additional heat. I would recomend to ween them off the heat lamp while they are in a protected enviroment before putting them outside. Mine went outside at 4 weeks with night time lows in the mid to low fifties with no additional heat. They would huddle together on the floor of the coop to stay warm and did well. You probably want to wait a while before integrating your flocks together till the younger ones are fully grown. If you have enough room they might get along sooner though depending on the older ones aggressiveness.