putting the chicks in the coop

[ashelee13]

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I've been reading some great info though from this forum for the past week. My husband and I just bought 3 comet pullets a little over a week ago from our local feed store. This is our first time raising chickens. We live just outside Myrtle Beach, SC. The weather has been started to get warmer and I've read not to put the chicks in the coop till fully feathered. Also that they need it to be about 95 the first week and then less each week after. Their brooder right now is in our garage where during the day it has been getting warm so we don't keep the heat lamp on at all times. Even if it is really warm outside should we still keep them in the brooder till fully feathered or can we put them in the coop once it starts staying warm here? They are growing pretty quickly, their wings are already a lot bigger just in the week we have had them. I love watching them grow and learning their different personalities!

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! They can go out in the coop if it's set up with heat on one side; until they are feathered out, chilling an happen, certainly at night. Pictures of your setup would help here. Mary

 

[Clemsonchickfan]

I'm going to be interested to see your responses. I live in Sumter, about an hour and half inland from you. I have four chicks that are about two weeks old. I'm probably going to put mine out in the coop later this week so I can make room in my brooder for two more chicks that are supposed to get here Wedensday. I did build my coop with a hard wired light socket with a timer so I can add a heat bulb on chilly nights or a regular bulb during the winter. I also will be keeping them in the coop and not letting them out into the run for at least two or three more weeks.

From what I have read, as long as the night time temps stay in the upper 60s and there is no draft in the coop, they should be ok. I'm new to this, though, so don't take my word for it.

 

[azygous]

The heat guidelines are just that, guidelines. Every group of chicks has their own specific heat needs and preferences. The way to tell how much heat they need is to put them out in their new coop and hang a heat lamp at one end, secured by at least two separate fire-proof fasteners, out of reach of flapping wings.

If your chicks are less than four weeks or are still sporting fuzzy heads, turn the heat on both day and night. If the chicks are older than four weeks, just offer the heat at night. Next step to determine how much they need heat, observe them at various times of the day, and right before you decide to go to bed yourself at night. If the chicks are under the lamp, then you can assume they still need heat. If they are avoiding the heat, then remove it since they no longer require it.

It's the old "let the chicks tell you" method of determining heat requirements. Never fails.

 

[ashelee13]

Thanks! The coop we have is this one: http://www.precisionpet.com/detail.aspx?ID=191

We plan on adding an expansion run to it so they have more room outside once they are bigger.

For now they are in an old tank I had but we are planning to move them to a pretty large cardboard box set up I just made.

 

[ashelee13]

Right now we just have the precision pets hen house coop set up in our backyard. Eventually we will expand their run so they have more room outside the actual coop also. We have a 6 foot privacy fence but I'm hesitant to let them roam the backyard free when no one is home since we live in a housing development (though no hoa rules about chickens haha).

Right now they are in a tank set up....but will be moving them to a pretty large cardboard box set up in a few days, since they are outgrowing the tank already.