Raising chicks in autumn

[woodlandd]

My buff orpington chicks are about three and a half weeks old, and staying in my room for now. I was planning on moving them to the garage once they were 5-6 weeks old, but the garage is quite chilly. I've given my chicks a heating pad, and they barely use it other than at night, which tells me they handle room temperature well. I'm planning on removing the heating pad by next week. They've also gone out a few times, and they were fine at about 16˚C (60˚F). Any suggestions whether this is a good idea or not? Can fully feathered chicks handle the cold better?

 

[Coops Dad]

Yes, fully feathered chicks can handle the cold; they'll cluster together for warmth if they need to, and they're suited for it.

 

[woodlandd]

Yes, fully feathered chicks can handle the cold; they'll cluster together for warmth if they need to, and they're suited for it.

Thanks for the input! Do you happen to know how cold is too cold for them? Is there a "too cold" at all?

 

[MTKitty]

I put my 4-5 week old flock in the chicken yard when daytime highs were around 70* F and overnight lows were down to 50’s. They did fine at those temps.

 

[Happy hen lover]

When they're fully feathered ( head and all) they do quite well. I would leave them in coop for a week so they get the point the coop is home and safe. It makes a BIG difference come time to reach them to go to bed in there. ! Get them used to you so they'll come when called at dusk to shut up.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My 4 week olds (fully acclimated to outdoors) are fine without heat down to mid 40s at night.

 

[Sally PB]

I would leave them in coop for a week so they get the point the coop is home and safe. It makes a BIG difference come time to reach them to go to bed in there. ! Get them used to you so they'll come when called at dusk to shut up.

I've done this with both batches of chicks that I've had, and it worked very well. They put themselves to bed, no problems.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters a lot.

In fact, because I'm in the Steamy Southeast of the USA, my concern with my new batch of chicks in late September/early October is them possibly getting overheated on 85F+ days.

Even now you can start exposing the chicks to the outdoors for a bit on warm, sunny days to encourage the growth of thick feathers and help them acclimate.

By the time they're fully-feathered, 4-6 weeks, they should be weaned off heat and can be acclimated to your outdoor temperatures. Chickens tolerate cold better than they tolerate heat.

In fact, if you can run power to your coop and provide a safe source of heat you can finish brooding in the coop so that they adapt naturally.

 

[Ponypoor]

I bought a Cozy Coop flat panel heater last spring when I first got chicks and they loved it. They would cozy up to it to warm up then once warm go back to running about the horse stall I put them in during the day.

They seem pretty hardy and thrived, just make sure they stay dry.