Ready for outdoor living?

[Mattaway]

I am curious if these chicks are feathered enough to stand moving to an outside brooder. Temps in AL are set to hit the 40's in the next few days, so I am a little concerned. I would have the light on the outdoor brooder with an enclosed section and an outdoor play yard (see MotherEarthNews portable outdoor brooder). Any advise would be awesome!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

They aren't feathered enough for anything other than the recommended temps- but hey I brood chicks in sheds now and it works great as long as they have a place that is out of the wind and with their heat lamp they will be OK!

In other words, as long as they can get the recommended temps by going under the light and they don't have a draft on them, then they can be in the coop or wherever.

However, the only trouble is that it is not until THREE weeks of age that they become sophisticated enough to manage going in and out of a door to their heat lamp from my experience. So I would wait until 3 weeks of age.

 

[Mattaway]

So moving the current setup of 3 paper boxes fused into one long 52"x12" box out to the shed would work for the next 2-3 weeks? They currently reside in the laundry room, pine shavings help but there's still a smell that greets all that step through side door (our main thouroughfare). They've been practicing take off taxi procedures so I wasn't sure if they needed more room as well as the chance to explore new things. Ah well, a little while longer won't kill us but jumping the gun could kill them I guess. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for the input.

 

[donrae]

I'd move them, having the heat lamp available. Here's my reasoning:
If those chicks were hatched by a hen, they'd be out from under her much of the time, at whatever temp the day happened to be. They'd pop back under momma to warm up, then out and explore. Sleep under momma at night. So, if they have the heat lamp available, like momma, they're fine to be out doing their little chick things during the day.

 

[dmack]

I agree with donrae. But be aware If there are adult chicken you will want to watch them. They could hurt or kill them. Especially if there is a rooster in there. But if they are alone the heat lamp about 16 inches of the floor will suffice just fine. If you have other chicks a I would take their box out and put some hardware cloth over it and their heat lamp.

 

[Spice Glen Hens]

Depends on the breed, and chick size. The risk increases with earlier putting out.

I put my last 50 McMurray Rainbow Layers out at 2 weeks because they are huge, it is warm in California, and they have the heat lamp inside the outdoor brooder in an enclosed coop.
I risk losing a couple, but they were ready to go outside.
Big McMurry Egg Layer chicks are not tiny Polish and Sultan chicks.
At 2 weeks they are mostly feathered, except the Buff Orphingtons,which are still big fuzzy balls, and the Rhode Island Reds are tiny.

The trick is to maintain the warm sanctuary inside, and check during the day and at night that the babies are inside.
Also we place water containers and chick starter bowls inside the brooder,to tend them.
For the first few days babies are afraid to go out.

Like said above, at this young age, they are dumb about getting back inside the brooder.
So,
You have to help for a few days until they go in on their own.

Our reason for putting 2 week olds out is that we have 50 more coming on monday, and our indoor brooders are full of more delicate birds, like Polish and Sultans.

The Polish and Sultan fancy birds we hatch are smaller breeds and much more delicate. At 5 weeks they are still tiny.

They go out when they are about 5 weeks old.
The fancy birds are just so small compared to the big egg layers that the risk of injury or loss is too serious to not wait until they get bigger.

Or you lose some to the cold if your not on it day and night.

I think, the bigger the bird, the earlier it can go out. With proper heated brooder of course..

Having 200 babies indoors is a fun party every night!

 

[Natalijaasbj]

When my maran and couple of Chanteclers were 4 weeks I took them outside just for 45 min or so, and it was 62 F and windy. NOT A GOOD IDEA! The next day the maran got sick. I think he got some shock of being cold. Thankfully after 3 days of intensive "treatment"of sitting under lamp and drinking PEdialites and Corid( I am not 100%sure what happened to him , but I thought in case it is Cocchi I will give him Corrid) he recovered. But lady at the Feed store said that she never gets chicks outside until they are 6 weeks old( espessially in colder temperatures). WAIT if you can - 3 weeks is very early IMHO.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

So moving the current setup of 3 paper boxes fused into one long 52"x12" box out to the shed would work for the next 2-3 weeks? They currently reside in the laundry room, pine shavings help but there's still a smell that greets all that step through side door (our main thouroughfare). They've been practicing take off taxi procedures so I wasn't sure if they needed more room as well as the chance to explore new things. Ah well, a little while longer won't kill us but jumping the gun could kill them I guess. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for the input.

You can move everything out to a shed - yes- but make SURE that your heat lamp will NOT fall if flying chickens run into it. Hang it at least two ways, not including the clamp. Only use ceramic socket ones, not plastic socket. If the shed is enclosed you don't need the cardboard- make sure that the cardboard isn't too close to the lamp and the lamp not too close to the shavings.

Another advantage to not using the cardboard inside the shed is that when they fly out of the box they can die from the cold, since they can't get back into the box (they aren't smart enough at that age).