Putting my chicks outside in winter

[Hanie]

My chicks are currently 2 and a half weeks old. I want to put them outside in their coop in a few weeks and wanted some advice on exactly when I should. It's winter in Australia and it can get down to 32 degrees fahrenheit at night and is in the 50s during the day. At what age can I put them outside to live?

 

[Stiggy]

when they are fully feathered and its warm they can go out. they must be very late hatch? if their house is nice and warm and dry with lots of deep bedding they might be ok, but its best to wait till they are fully feathered just to be sure.

 

[lilpetunia]

I'm in Melbourne & have 6 1/2 week old chicks that are really well feathered. They are in the garage at the moment & I'm just starting to wean them off the heat lamp. I was planning to put them outside at 10 weeks.
Where are you from?

 

[Hanie]

Thanks for your advice! But how do I tell when they're fully feathered?
I'm in Melbourne as well. It's freezing! Unfortunately I don't have a garage for them. They're in the bathroom at the moment but I'm not sure how much longer that will work.

 

[lilpetunia]

I've spent ages reading trying to work out the same thing & from everything I've read, they should be completely feathered out by 8-10 weeks.

I have a little black Australorp who has always been much smaller than the others & only started eating from the feeder a week ago - before that she would only eat from the ground & I had to sprinkle food there for her. I didn't think she would survive. But she is a feisty little thing and growing quickly now. But she is still well behind the others in her feathering so I'm definitely going to wait until 10 weeks to put them outside for her sake. She is special to me now as she is so brave. She is even starting to challenge some of the chickens twice her size who don't take her very seriously!

Do you have a carport or a shed? They will outgrow the bathroom will very quickly. How many do you have? If you can find a sheltered place outside, even on a verandah, where you can have a heatlamp and a brooder with good ventilation but no drafts, they will be fine after 4 weeks.

I have 9 and started off with what I thought was a large brooder (about 1m x 1.5m) & seemed huge when I first put the little chicks in there...but by 3-4 weeks I knew I had to large it so I doubled it in size & now we can't put the car in the garage!

So I had the heat lamp off for 2 hours this afternoon & will keep leaving it off for longer each day. I plan to have it gone completely by 8 weeks & then at 10 weeks they can go outside.

Where in Melbourne are you? I'm in Diamond Creek. It gets freezing here in the winter, we are always a few degrees below the city.

 

[Hanie]

The man at the farm where I got them said eight weeks should be fine, so I'm hoping that's correct. I have four chickens and the only place outside I could put them is the verandah. I had a look online but can't find any small, basic chicken runs I could get to put on the verandah. The only good ones don't have floors. I thought maybe I could make one. Or if I could find a power source near their hen house I could put a heat lamp in there, would that be okay do you think? And if so at what age?
I'm in Camberwell, so it's probably not as cold as where you are. Sorry for all the questions, I've had chickens before but I've never raised them from babies to adults, only had one or the other.

 

[lilpetunia]

Judging by how big & feathered out my chicks are at nearly 7 weeks, I think 8 weeks will be fine to go outside. As I mentioned, I'm only keeping mine in a bit longer because of the little one that is only now beginning to feather out - otherwise they would already be finished with the heat lamp & probably out by next weekend!

I made my brooder from sheets of plywood from Bunnings and just stuck together with lots of duct tape. It's so much cheaper than buying a chicken house - I spent less than $100. I have rigid wire mesh sheets over the top secured with nails and a blanket over a section as it gets very cold in the garage.

I didn't want to spend a lot as we have a chook house ready to go and I will never be brooding chickens myself again (at least not this many) as next time I will wait for a broody hen to do all the work!

 

[Stiggy]

I'm in NZ so its even colder and wetter than Auz . I wouldn't be putting them out until they were about 10 weeks old and completely feathered due to our atrocious weather at this point. but if its warm and they are ready then by all means put them out side, just male sure they are warm and cosy at night, if they are all in a huddled corner then its to early to put them out

 

[Hanie]

Thanks for all of your help lilpetunia. I managed to get a good cheap coop from Bunnings that'll be fine for several weeks on the verandah as long as they have a heat lamp.
And thanks Stiggy