Ready for outside?

[mldlm]

5 weeks old now. Night temps are low to mid seventies with daytime upper 80s to upper 90s. I have 4 15 week olds in the coop/run outside already. Are these ready? Ideas on how to transition the young ones to the coop? I am thinking of a separate cage at night in the coop and a separate, smaller “coop” cage in the run until they all get used to each other. The last picture is when they are in the process of dust bathing…lol

 

[Battlepants]

Have you been providing a heat source inside? If so, I would remove that and let them get used to not having it around.

Beyond that, having a second cage sitting next to your 15 week olds is a good call. I'd probably take them out there for fieldtrips every day for a few days to a week. Each time, keeping them out there for a few hours at least. This will give them time to get used to eachother and harden off to the outside temperatures.

Then for the actual integration, I like to just plop them right in the same coop after dark. Everyone wakes up together and (hopefully) not too many squabbles happen.

 

[WIchickMama]

I 2nd what @Battlepants said!

 

[mldlm]

They have a warmer in their brooder at night only. I have not had it on for about 8 days, they like to sleep on top of it. Lol. I keep it 76 degrees at night in my house, which is where they are in the br.

 

[swamphiker]

Yep, @Battlepants has it right. It is plenty warm outside here in FL, I live not too far from you in Alachua County and have some 4-week-old chicks that I started transitioning outdoors around 2 weeks old. First just a couple of hours a day, eventually all day and back in the brooder w/ heat at night, then no heat but indoors at night, then full-time outdoors!

The chicks are still in their own separate run and coop since they are still small. I do the "see but no touch" method until they are about 2 months old, then I integrate them fully but keep a close eye for the first week. So far I haven't had issues since they have a relatively large run with lots of plants and other obstacles the little ones can use to run/hide from the bigger chickens.

 

[mldlm]

Thank you all for your input! Just being ridiculously nervous about this, I guess…

 

[rosemarythyme]

Temperatures obviously aren't an issue, getting them integrated is the main concern. I think your cage idea should work fine, gives them opportunity to get used to each other.