Putting birds out too soon?

[ChrisS]

My cornish rocks are a week old today and are too messy for me to keep them inside too much longer. If nights lows are 70+ can I put them out Wednesday with a heat lamp on them at night? Or can I put them out during the day and bring them in at night? What's the best option?

 

[andalusn]

They are really still too little to be outside. At this age and size they are very vulnerable to predators and temperatures. I keep mine in a brooder box or largest tote in the barn for about 4 weeks or so before moving them into a dog pen that has been converted to peep housing. I lke them to be fully feathered which protects them better from the temps and less of a need for the heat lamp all the time. If your just wanting to get away from the smell and dust maybe you can find a better option for the brooder so its not inside the house anymore but they are protected. Right now I have a brooder of 6 in the garage.

 

[MobyQuail]

our bantam cornish are ~3 weeks and I am just thinking about putting them outside too, feathering in well, they are in the garage in a 110 gal. water tank. florida about 76' now @ 0300.
I would like to get them out during the day to get some grass.

good luck with yours!

 

[rainplace]

We're in the pacific northwest and have yet to have a summer. Today may be 68 degrees. We're putting ours out on pasture at 3 weeks. We're doing 100 bird batches though and they seem to generate an awful lot of heat. On sunny days, if we have them, we roll them outside and get them on grass starting at 2 weeks, being careful to watch for huddle behavior and bringing them back to the barn before the nightly temp drop. We're wanting to move to pasture brooding like in the photos found here so we won't have to spend time moving them back and forth to the barn when they are younger.

 

[itsy]

If you have appropriate predator proof housing, I bet you can get them out at two weeks.

 

[ChrisS]

As far as protection goes I'm fairly confident my tractor is safe. And if the weather is right I'm shooting for 2 weeks then.

 

[Tracydr]

If you can have a predator proof place and a way to give them lights for heat, set up a brooder outside. I've done that in my barn many times.
I had mine out a two weeks but unfortunately, had a very rare dog attack. I didn't think the gate to my yard could be broken by a dog but it was.
I've since secured the yard so hopefully this will never again be a problem. If you have a secure tractor and heat source, I'd say they could go out at two weeks with no problem. Perhaps you could bring them in the garage for the night?

 

[PotterWatch]

We have put ours out at two weeks when it was still getting chilly at night (well, chilly for this area;high 50's), we just put a heat lamp in the tractor. They did fine.

 

[weeders n feeders]

Mine were getting day trip out at 1-2 weeks when it was still in the mid 50s ( kinda hard to believe the temps were ever like that right now) and they loved it. Only huddled up when the wind blew hard. They are now below 32 degrees in plastic bags and delicious so obviously they were fine.

 

[ChrisS]

Quote:
Dogs are my biggest worry. And I don't have a garage, so its either inside or outside for these chickies.