Outside?

[jojorose8]

I know there are a million threads on this, but none of them seem to answer my specific scenario. Can fully feathered 6 week old chicks be moved to the coop with overnight lows of 50 degrees without heat?

 

[Kiki]

Yes.

 

[lazy gardener]

I know there are a million threads on this, but none of them seem to answer my specific scenario. Can fully feathered 6 week old chicks be moved to the coop with overnight lows of 50 degrees without heat?

Absolutely. My chicks are 5 weeks old and have been off heat for over a week. Last week was miserably cold and rainy, with temps in 50's during the day, and at least one night in high 30's.

 

[jojorose8]

Perfect. Are they unhappy about the cold? I have a Premier 1 hot plate and they don't seem to use it anymore, but the heat in my house is still set for 66 since it's been a cold spring. How do I slowly adjust them to the change from 66 degrees to 50 degrees?

 

[Eggstatic1727]

Mine have been out since they were 5 weeks old, they are fully feathered and the lows have been in the 50s where I live. They LOVE it! At 4 weeks I was turning off the heat lamp during the day so they could start getting acclimated.
Hope this answers your question!

 

[PirateGirl]

Yes. my daytime temps don't even get above 50 most days yet. I do still give them heat at night if below freezing though.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

IMO, yes. Ours were moved out at 3+weeks with nights in the upper 30s. They did fine.

 

[HoodedHuntress]

One hundred percent yes. Their main concerns are food, water, and company. The cold will not bother them, as they already have a good amount of feathers at 6 weeks.

 

[WesleyBeal]

Set up the Premier in a space for them out in the coop, and they should be fine. Only thing to worry about would be if they got wet.

My current chicks are 4 weeks old now. I started them outside in the coop from day-one; we've had temps drop below freezing during this time.

What's important is that they have a chance to acclimate themselves to the cooler temperatures. That's why I suggest setting up the hot plate for them out there - otherwise I wouldn't bother. So check and see if they're using it the first day or so, and if not, remove it.

Last year I lost one at 4 weeks after it stood out in the rain rather than take shelter (live and learn - I figured they had shelter, they'd use it). Getting wet changes everything. Feathered out or not they have to be big enough to generate body heat to overcome that.

 

[jojorose8]

Thanks so much everyone! As much as I love these babies, I want them out of my house. Haha. The dust is unbelievable. I can predict midnight coop visits to make sure they are okay though.