pic of my chicks, is this what's considererd "fully feathered"? Can they be outside full-time?

[ButchGood]

Dang aoxa
That's cold. I'm in Texas and the temps are GREAT right now. Temps in the 80's during the day and upper60's lower 70's at night. You know what? I was going to turn the heat lamp off this weekend. I'm not going to wait. I'm leaving it off tonight all night. ..............You do know Ill be checking on them in the middle of the night. If they complain Ill just tell them,"Quit complaining, the birds up north wouldn't be crying about it."

 

[1 lucky dad]

I give mine the option to go under a heat lamp if they need it.. but it gets really cold here at night (bellow freezing). During the day they will go back to the heat lamp if they get cold. I wouldn't leave them without heatlamp at mid 30's. Give them another week and I'd say it's good to go.

x2

 

[featherz]

My six week olds are out in the coop, no heat. it was 21 degrees this morning. They were all fine, running around and hollering for me to break the ice off their water.

Might be because I used an ecoglow for the first four weeks instead of a heat lamp, so they got used to cold earlier.

 

[Jeanette13]

I took my chances and put them out yesterday. We have a heat lamp in the coop, and the temp in there was 49F this morning when I let them out. So they survived their first night in the coop, and then their first thunderstorm this morning...

 

[Theocons123]

Hello I am also new to chicks. I wondered I have two chicks. A black rock and a welsummer/light Sussex. I have had them from hatch. They are rapidly growing and are now a week old. We are going on holiday i two weeks and a bit. But do you guys/gals think we can put them outside at three weeks? They will be seperate from my current pol hens. And we have arranged cover. But there brooder will soon be too small for them. Thanks Theo.

 

[Theocons123]

I also forgot to mention. At the moment it is around 21 centigrade. And very humid so we wouldn't be using a heat lamp. I'm in England by the way! Thanks again Theo.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Where chicks are brooded is irrelevant. What is required is the right temperature and a safe environment. That's it. This can be a garage, a cellar, a barn, a shed, anywhere these conditions can be met.

Summer is a good time to brood out of doors in a safe structure like a shed or barn. If you can string a large, exterior rated extension cord for power, you can easily mount a lamp. An enormous output heat lamp is not necessary this time of year. Just 100 watts or equivalent is fine. Give them a couple nights of trial before you leave on holiday. Be sure the fixture is safe as fire danger is always a possibility. Give them ample room to move away from the lamp, be draw near at night or put the lamp on a simple timer. Be sure the area is secure and free from areas or openings where they could escape.

 

[Theocons123]

At the moment they are in a home made brooder, its just two chicks but they will outgrow their brooder. Will they be okay without a lamp at 4 weeks in a coop with a run?

 

[Fred's Hens]

4 week old chicks are fine in a coop, where they are safe.

If day time highs are 22C and night time lows stay above 16C, they'll be just fine. Just provide some nice deep straw or wood shavings for them to snuggle down into and they'll be just fine. Perhaps give them another week. At 5 weeks, they'll be just fine come what may.

 

[family4god5]

My chick's are ready to sleep in their coup at night. Do you suggest closing them up with food and water or should it stay just in their run?