Putting 1 week old chicks outside?

[chrisxweaver]

Before you get super mad I understand that they should be kept at 90 degrees. I plan to put 1 250w heat lamp and 1 150w heat lamp and seeing if they are cold The coldest its going to be is 60 degrees. If they are cold I will bring them inside but i have no Predators except cats but i have preditor profed theyre run so is this a big no no or is it doable?

 

[WalnutHill]

Before you get super mad I understand that they should be kept at 90 degrees. I plan to put 1 250w heat lamp and 1 150w heat lamp and seeing if they are cold The coldest its going to be is 60 degrees. If they are cold I will bring them inside but i have no Predators except cats but i have preditor profed theyre run so is this a big no no or is it doable?

I have my one week olds in an outdoor brooder cage. They have a 1' x 2' hover in the brooder box. It's 40 degrees out and the Freedom Rangers are a little unhappy but the other chicks are okay with it.

 

[TLWR]

100% doable.
I don't raise birds inside, too messy/dusty.
Check your temp with just one lamp, both may be way too warm.

 

[Kiki]

Put them out but, double check the coop, to make SURE nothing can get in to get them.
Triple check it.


Can you post a pic or two of the coop?

 

[WalnutHill]

Let me clarify too, they are too young to be in a run, they should be in the coop. Some make a whole brooder room, I use brooder boxes (keeps them from wandering and getting into trouble, but also requires close monitoring of heat).

 

[azygous]

Chicks at one week don't need to be in a 90 degree brooder. Only one spot right beneath the lamp needs to be warm, and even 90 may be more than they need. You need to watch their behavior to determine how warm they really need it to be. Some chicks at one week don't like it any warmer than 80F under the lamp, and much cooler in the rest of the brooder. They do need cool space to shed excess heat.

Many of us brood out baby chicks in our covered runs. My chicks, at one day old, have a heating pad that is around 85 degrees under it. The rest of their brooding pen is no warmer than the warmest day in spring, around 50F. At night, it's in the 30s. Chicks don't need to be kept in a warm space as long as they have a warm spot to warm up under.

You may take your chicks outdoors anytime as long as you watch them carefully and bring them back indoors when they show signs of chilling. It's actually a very good way to encourage feather growth and to get them used to cooler temps. They will be ready to move outdoors into their coop at a much earlier age.

And no one here at BYC is going to get mad at you for asking questions!

 

[Ok12346]

Before you get super mad I understand that they should be kept at 90 degrees. I plan to put 1 250w heat lamp and 1 150w heat lamp and seeing if they are cold The coldest its going to be is 60 degrees. If they are cold I will bring them inside but i have no Predators except cats but i have preditor profed theyre run so is this a big no no or is it doable?

I normally raise gamefowls and I raise them outside If I don’t let a hen raise them then I’ll make sure there fully dried in the incubator and then put them in the cage outside without no heat they use there body heat and I’ve noticed they do better and get use to the weather and cold faster and it’s gets down to like 50-60 at night and the chicks do just fine chicks don’t don’t 90 degrees all the time all my hens that raises chicks they don’t sit on the chicks to keep them warm besides like one time during the day only time she’ll sit on them to keep them warm is at night and chicks can be just fine by using there body heat which is what the hen does basically so I started raising them like that and never had a issue the chicks just need to have something to get out of the wind and stuff at night which first few night you might need to move them to that side that blocks wind and stuff and If you got good quality chicks they do fine my gamefowls and all the chicks I hatch out do fine without no heat and do better then chicks I’ve raised with heat but chicks you buy from farm stores sense there not good quality or nothing they probably won’t do as good or some might pass which would most likely be weaker ones and you don’t want weaker birds you want hardy birds like how I raise them there more hardy I’ve noticed then chicks I raised with a heat lamp which the chicks I don’t give heat and keep them outside almost never get sick if they even do then chicks I raised with heat they would get sick more then the chicks that I raised without heat and they just don’t do as good and don’t get use to the cold and stuff like that like you’ll see the difference like the chicks without no heat will do a lot better when there older and stuff if you buy chicks from a farm store I’d get extra cause since there not good quality or nothing most likely a few will pass the first week so don’t get attached until there older