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Ready for the coop? Thoughts please.

Discussion in 'Raising Baby Chicks' started by WestIndy, Mar 11, 2014.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Mar 11, 2014 #1
    WestIndy

    WestIndy Out Of The Brooder

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    Jan 25, 2014
    My chicks are now 6 weeks old and they are getting big! Like someone dumped MiracleGrow on them big! They are outgrowing their brooder thats in the garage plus my garage is getting so dusty! Man these things can make a mess.

    Anyway, it's still unseasonably cool here in Central Indiana, creeping into the 40's and 50's during the day and hitting the 20's at night. My coop hopefully gets completed this coming weekend. Think they are ready for the coop with these temps? They've pretty much feathered out.

    Comments appreciated!
     
  3. Mar 11, 2014 #2
    Ridgerunner

    Ridgerunner Chicken Obsessed

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    They will probably be OK. There are a few things to consider. People want a cut and dried number for age but it doesn’t always work that way.

    How cool does it get in the garage and especially in the brooder? The more cool they are exposed to the more acclimated they will be.

    How good is the draft protection in the coop? Do they have some bedding or something to snuggle down into at night if they get cold? How many do you have? Are there enough to help keep each other warm?

    My brooder is in the coop. I heat one end and let the rest cool down as it will. It can get pretty cold at the far end sometimes. A couple of years back I took about 20 five week old chicks out of my brooder and put them in an unheated but with good draft protection grow-out coop. The overnight lows were hitting the mid 40’s. Within three nights the overnight low dipped into the mid 20’s. They were fine.

    Yours are older than mine were but I doubt they are acclimated as well. Still, it’s Tuesday. By this weekend they will be real close to seven weeks old. If your coop has decent draft protection where they are on the floor they should be fine.
     
  5. Mar 11, 2014 #3
    WestIndy

    WestIndy Out Of The Brooder

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    Jan 25, 2014
    Thanks for the thoughts. I have 11 and I turned off the lamp today (it's 65 outside). I like the idea of breaking them in with cooler temps, although the high tomorrow is 32!....this weekend its supposed to be 50ish. They'll have bedding and each other to keep warm and definitely no drafts in the coop other than the roof level ventilation. If I get it finished...they're going in!
     

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