putting 3 week old chicks outside?

[GreenLove]

I would setup more than one light and multiple feeding and watering stations. This way everyone can get what they need without crowding one area.

Good idea!

 

[mduerksen]

I am new too but I put mine in a cold frame with a heat lamp and a box with bedding in it. I was really worried the first 3 nights because they were just over a week old I was up constantly checking on them. They never cuddled right under the light. They just spread out around the edges and during the day they would run and play. They have been In there 10 days now and LOVE IT. If it gets too warm I prop open the lid (my cold frame has a slanted lid and the side open with a screen for ventilation. also have the. Cold frame has slats for my seed starters so there is a shady area too. They now have roots and love to flap around and are the happiest little chicks. 4 are almost 3 weeks and 3 are almost 2 weeks

 

[GreenLove]

I am new too but I put mine in a cold frame with a heat lamp and a box with bedding in it. I was really worried the first 3 nights because they were just over a week old I was up constantly checking on them. They never cuddled right under the light. They just spread out around the edges and during the day they would run and play. They have been In there 10 days now and LOVE IT. If it gets too warm I prop open the lid (my cold frame has a slanted lid and the side open with a screen for ventilation. also have the. Cold frame has slats for my seed starters so there is a shady area too. They now have roots and love to flap around and are the happiest little chicks. 4 are almost 3 weeks and 3 are almost 2 weeks

What does the temp in your cold frame read at night? How cold is it outside at night and during the day where you are?

 

[azygous]

A lot of people lose sight of the fact that the entire environment does not need to be at the high temperature the guidelines recommend. As long as there are no drafts, and as long as the chicks are free to move in and out of the heat zone, and the heat zone is large enough to accommodate all of the chicks, (two heat sources may be necessary for a couple dozen chicks), it can be much cooler in their surrounding area, and they'll be just fine, since baby chicks will regulate their heat needs by moving in and out of a heat zone.

It's the same principle as when we go camping, we're okay at freezing temps as long as we have a campfire to warm us.

 

[mduerksen]

What does the temp in your cold frame read at night?  How cold is it outside at night and during the day where you are?

To be honest we are getting into the 20/30 at night I am in the mountains of Northern California it even tried to snow today. I don't have an exact temp because it is different all over the cold frame but it's getting into the 40's at night (not under the heat lamp). Even still they are not showing signs of being cold the lay together in the edge of the light but not right under it. And sometimes some of them will even sleep on the ground on the other side of the heat lamp instead of in the box with bedding

 

[GreenLove]

A lot of people lose sight of the fact that the entire environment does not need to be at the high temperature the guidelines recommend. As long as there are no drafts, and as long as the chicks are free to move in and out of the heat zone, and the heat zone is large enough to accommodate all of the chicks, (two heat sources may be necessary for a couple dozen chicks), it can be much cooler in their surrounding area, and they'll be just fine, since baby chicks will regulate their heat needs by moving in and out of a heat zone.

It's the same principle as when we go camping, we're okay at freezing temps as long as we have a campfire to warm us.

Very helpful info! Thanks!

 

[GreenLove]

To be honest we are getting into the 20/30 at night I am in the mountains of Northern California it even tried to snow today. I don't have an exact temp because it is different all over the cold frame but it's getting into the 40's at night (not under the heat lamp). Even still they are not showing signs of being cold the lay together in the edge of the light but not right under it. And sometimes some of them will even sleep on the ground on the other side of the heat lamp instead of in the box with bedding

Okay, great! Thank you for responding.

 

[GreenLove]

Thanks for for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it

 

[PolentaDragon]

Just wondering how your chicks made out, and what you ended up doing up for draft-proofing/heating. Since mine are in the basement I'd like to get them outside as soon as possible, because I'm not really crazy about having the house smell like a hamster cage. I think it still gets down to about 5 degrees celsius (I guess that's 40-ish for you guys), although it may be a bit warmer at night two weeks from now. But since at 3 weeks they aren't fully feathered - well I guess I just have the same concerns you did! Also I think my brooder space may not be big enough either - I'd like to move them BEFORE they get snippy at each other. (Sorry to hear what happened to you! But thank you for sharing, at least we can learn from your experience.)

 

[GreenLove]

Just wondering how your chicks made out, and what you ended up doing up for draft-proofing/heating. Since mine are in the basement I'd like to get them outside as soon as possible, because I'm not really crazy about having the house smell like a hamster cage. I think it still gets down to about 5 degrees celsius (I guess that's 40-ish for you guys), although it may be a bit warmer at night two weeks from now. But since at 3 weeks they aren't fully feathered - well I guess I just have the same concerns you did! Also I think my brooder space may not be big enough either - I'd like to move them BEFORE they get snippy at each other. (Sorry to hear what happened to you! But thank you for sharing, at least we can learn from your experience.)

Well, let's put it this way, my 10x10 horse stall looked like a scene from the show Dexter (minus all the blood LOL!) I covered it from top to bottom in visqueen (plastic sheeting), and used gorilla tape to attach it, (in hindsight, I should have used a staple gun because the gorilla tape isn't very sticky in cold weather and loosened at some point, and a few of the chicks got stuck between the plastic and stall wall, but I got to them before they suffocated). At this point I was considering having 25 chicken nuggets for dinner

. Just kidding. I added 2 heat lamps 250w each and lots of premium pine shavings. I made a quick roost with 6 ft, 1 inch diameter bamboo poles and a couple bales of hay (more space to get away from each other). I tried to keep them in as long as possible because they weren't feathered out but at 4 weeks old it just wasn't possible anymore. They were causing too much damage to each other, so out they went. I didn't sleep for more than a few hours for about a week because I kept walking to the barn (about 100 yards from the house) to check on them during the day and throughout the night. I was so afraid the heat lamps were going to cause a fire. I used paracord, which is very strong, to tie them up. I tied LOTS of knots! I actually drilled a hole in one of the hay loft beams and looped the paracord through that so there wasn't a possibility that the lights would come down. The temperature fell to 14 deg F one night but they pulled through. It helped that the stall was 95% draft free, and I honestly think I would have lost a few if it hadn't been. I checked with an infrared laser temperature gun to see if the area under the heat lamps were warm enough. The temp (under the light) stayed right around 80 even though it was very cold outside. The rest of the stall was very cold. Even though I had all that space for them, they started pecking at each other again around 6 weeks old. I left the lights on during the day but had to turn them off at night when they were locked in the stall for the night (they free range on an acre right now during the day). I'm beginning to think I just have a few cannibalistic chickens in the mix

. I can't think of anything else to tell you, hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions

.