Take em out?

[mochicken]

I have some chicks that are around 5 weeks old, fully feathered and eating and drinking fine. I know people beat this to death but can I put them outside? They are inside and its nice and toasty in here lol, at night we have been in the 30's and the 50's during the day would be a warm day. Should I put them out in a heated coop with access to a fenced run?

 

[elmo]

You want to avoid extreme, sudden temperature shifts because that's stressful. I would avoid a sudden temperature shift of 20 or more degrees.

So, if your indoor temp is 70, put them out in the coop only if there's a warm spot there at 50 degrees or so. One thing you could do is gradually acclimate them to the coop during the day, bringing them back indoors at night.

 

[sourland]

Put them out and provide a supplemental heat source from which you can gradually wean them.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote:
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besides the dust, that's why I never keep birds inside. They need to acclimate.

 

[mochicken]

Yeah I converting a 6ftx6ft shed outside to a 3 level brooder with a ceramic heater but I have a back injury and cant work on it right now

 

[sourland]

Sourland can relate to the back injury and how it can impede a person.