Outside temperature question for chicks! Please reply

[Lucysmom002]

I live in SE Wisconsin. Our weather changes like crazy. I just put our 6 week old chicks outside with shelter from the wind. Some of them are feathered good and a few are not (RIR). It was 85 degrees yesterday, 60 at night, last week it was in the 60's during the day and 50 at night. Now they are saying it will drop to 43 tonight and 38 at night later in the week.

Should I bring them back inside with their light??

 

[teach1rusl]

Although I'm sure that, as long as their shelter is snug and draft free, they would be okay, I'd probably bring them in if the temps dropped below 40. Well, actually, I'd turn a lamp on in the coop. But I'm a worrier with my birds... It can be tough when those temps swing back and forth over that wide a range...

 

[motherhenmindy]

I live in TX, and we are dealing with the opposite of extreme heat. However, we've had an unusually chilly spring a couple weeks back. I put my girls out in their very open coop/run at 3.5 weeks old, and were not feathered in yet. Several nights, we had night air down in the 50's and 60's, I had no heat lamp. They were fine. I find anything over 90 and they are too warm and start panting. I would have brought them back in if the temps were going to go below 40, and I think I'll be bringing them in the AC if temps are over 100. HTH.

 

[Lucysmom002]

yeah, I'm a worrier too. I think I'll put them back inside with the light. They have a huge stall they can relax in and be nice and warm. The coop they are in is 3 sided and has a wind block on the 4th side.

thanks

 

[colebarnhart]

38 degrees is probably too cold for your chix, especially the RIR's that aren't feathered very good yet.

 

[Anianna]

If you have cold hardy breeds, the fully feathered ones shouldn't have a problem. You might want to offer the others or all of them a heat lamp they can snuggle under. If you keep them together, they have more cuddle warmth. I don't think they will really need much more than that at this age.

 

[Lucysmom002]

2 black cochins, 2 RIR's, 2 buff leghorns and one Buff Laced Brahma, that one is huge, we don't know how old it is

I'll be putting them in