Please help! Trying to figure out transition from brooder to coop!

[abigailb]

Hi All-
Our 5 pullets and 1 (accidental) cockerel, are 5 1/2 weeks old- they will be 6 weeks on Tuesday. They are mostly feathered out, just some down on their heads, with the exception of the cockerel who is slightly behind on feathering. They have been kept in a brooder in our basement with an ambient temp ranging in the 60s, with a heat plate. They don't go under the heat plate much anymore. The weather here in New Hampshire has finally been getting better, so they've been taking lots of field trips, for several hours at a time, out to their run (basically whenever it is sunny and not windy and above 60).
In accordance with the advice of "The Chicken Chick" book, we are going to keep them confined to their coop (no run access) for the first week which she says "coop trains" them to return there each night. Well, I knew we were having a warm up (after a freezing cold spring), but now when I look at the forecast ahead I am BOTH worried about them being too cold AND too hot! Such a New England problem lol! They are outside in the run now and it is 80 degrees. Tonight's low is 53. Looking ahead for the next week or so, here are the highs/lows: 83/59, 67/43, 69/41, 76/53, 86/63, 90/68, 90/69.
Are these temperature changes too much for them?? Will they be too hot stuck inside the coop in the 80s-90s??? Are the 40s nights too cold?? We could easily use an extension cord and bring the heat plate out on those nights, although then they couldn't sleep on the perches. They are really getting big for their brooder and we're eager to get them out, but this weather is so crazy. Any advice is very much appreciated!

 

[Eggscaping]

Hi All-
Our 5 pullets and 1 (accidental) cockerel, are 5 1/2 weeks old- they will be 6 weeks on Tuesday. They are mostly feathered out, just some down on their heads, with the exception of the cockerel who is slightly behind on feathering. They have been kept in a brooder in our basement with an ambient temp ranging in the 60s, with a heat plate. They don't go under the heat plate much anymore. The weather here in New Hampshire has finally been getting better, so they've been taking lots of field trips, for several hours at a time, out to their run (basically whenever it is sunny and not windy and above 60).
In accordance with the advice of "The Chicken Chick" book, we are going to keep them confined to their coop (no run access) for the first week which she says "coop trains" them to return there each night. Well, I knew we were having a warm up (after a freezing cold spring), but now when I look at the forecast ahead I am BOTH worried about them being too cold AND too hot! Such a New England problem lol! They are outside in the run now and it is 80 degrees. Tonight's low is 53. Looking ahead for the next week or so, here are the highs/lows: 83/59, 67/43, 69/41, 76/53, 86/63, 90/68, 90/69.
Are these temperature changes too much for them?? Will they be too hot stuck inside the coop in the 80s-90s??? Are the 40s nights too cold?? We could easily use an extension cord and bring the heat plate out on those nights, although then they couldn't sleep on the perches. They are really getting big for their brooder and we're eager to get them out, but this weather is so crazy. Any advice is very much appreciated!

Far from being experts, all I can give you is "what we did". We put our chicks outside in their coop at just a few days, giving them a "mama heat plate", which they'd run under when cold and out when they weren't. Our temps at night got down into the 40s. They did very well. On the heat I can't help, as we are in the low 60s in the day time, but the cold didn't hurt them since they could self-regulate under the MHP.

 

[abigailb]

Ok thanks! So I think the nights in the 40s will be fine! So now just wondering about the heat, and about the swings in temp over the course of the week.

 

[Parront]

The heat is more of a problem than the cold. Birds can't sweat, they pant if they are too hot. I am in Arizona, if you read the thread under "Where I am, Where are you?" by the Arizona desert people you will see all kinds of ways to cope with heat. But, depending on your set up, I might not go strictly by the book. If you have an open run with shade and water, that is all they need for an 80 - 90 degree day, just my opinion. I used to live in Riverside, CA almost as hot as Phoenix. I let my chicks into the coop @ 3 to 4 weeks old, when they had feathered out and they just fluff up at night on the perch -- it is cute to see them all perched close together! They adapt to the weather that they grow up with.

 

[abigailb]

The heat is more of a problem than the cold. Birds can't sweat, they pant if they are too hot. I am in Arizona, if you read the thread under "Where I am, Where are you?" by the Arizona desert people you will see all kinds of ways to cope with heat. But, depending on your set up, I might not go strictly by the book. If you have an open run with shade and water, that is all they need for an 80 - 90 degree day, just my opinion. I used to live in Riverside, CA almost as hot as Phoenix. I let my chicks into the coop @ 3 to 4 weeks old, when they had feathered out and they just fluff up at night on the perch -- it is cute to see them all perched close together! They adapt to the weather that they grow up with.

Thank you! Here is NH these temps are unseasonably hot, our lost frost date isn't until June 10! I'm not too worried about them coping with the heat as time goes on since we have tons of shade in the yard and it really isn't usually that hot, but freaking out about having to keep them locked up in their coop (no run access), during the transition from the brooder, in the heat. We would make sure plenty of air flow and cool water was available though...

 

[NatJ]

With those temperatures, you may want to shut them in the coop at night but let them into the run by day (assuming that the run has some shade, it will probably be cooler than the coop, because of more ventilation.)

If you do this, you will have to make sure each chick goes back into the coop at night, for however many nights it takes them to learn that it's the right place to sleep.

 

[abigailb]

With those temperatures, you may want to shut them in the coop at night but let them into the run by day (assuming that the run has some shade, it will probably be cooler than the coop, because of more ventilation.)

If you do this, you will have to make sure each chick goes back into the coop at night, for however many nights it takes them to learn that it's the right place to sleep.

Ok, so do you think the week long confinement is not necessary? As long as we consistenly put them in at night for a while? We did keep chickens years ago and didn't do the initial confinement....they mostly returned to the coop in the evening on their own but we often had to herd them in which was kind of pain and we were hoping to avoid this time...

 

[Parront]

Thank you! Here is NH these temps are unseasonably hot, our lost frost date isn't until June 10! I'm not too worried about them coping with the heat as time goes on since we have tons of shade in the yard and it really isn't usually that hot, but freaking out about having to keep them locked up in their coop (no run access), during the transition from the brooder, in the heat. We would make sure plenty of air flow and cool water was available though...

It is always good to make sure you have plenty of air flow. I got one of those "Thermo-Cubes" to plug a fan into. It turns the fan on @78 and off at 70 degrees. It is keeping the coop in the 80's, same as the outside temp here the past few days. I have not gotten the chicks yet,just getting the set up ready before they get here. A mister in the yard is good for really hot days. Do not worry about confining them to the coop for a week, outside in the run in the shade they will be very happy! Like the other poster said, just shoo them inside, or lure them into the coop at night with a treat!

 

[Parront]

Ok, so do you think the week long confinement is not necessary? As long as we consistenly put them in at night for a while? We did keep chickens years ago and didn't do the initial confinement....they mostly returned to the coop in the evening on their own but we often had to herd them in which was kind of pain and we were hoping to avoid this time...

They will learn that treats happen in the coop in the evening and get in the habit.

 

[NatJ]

Ok, so do you think the week long confinement is not necessary? As long as we consistently put them in at night for a while? We did keep chickens years ago and didn't do the initial confinement....they mostly returned to the coop in the evening on their own but we often had to herd them in which was kind of pain and we were hoping to avoid this time...

Either way can work. Confining for a week does not guarantee no herding, but it does help. Accidentally roasting your chicks is probably a bigger problem than having to herd them in at night

But putting treats inside at night, as Parront suggested, is sometimes easier than herding. (Might still have to herd in a straggler or two.)

Being very consistent in the first few weeks can make the next months easier, although it's still no guarantee-- I've had "teenage" chickens decide that they wanted to sleep outside, even though they'd been putting themselves inside at night for some weeks putting themselves before that.