Temperature Tolerance for 6 week olds

[Chicken Man Can]

They're ready.

They are in there tonight, no lamp. They huddled in a corner under the loft, with plenty of straw around them. So I know these younglings have good sense, that's a relief

 

[Chicken Man Can]

Uh oh! Checked on them tonight and they had moved their dumb butts from the covered part of the coop to the open net part! I moved them manually back to area where they wont get pelted from rain and wind. They tried to move again so I turned off the flashlight so they couldn't see. Why do they prefer the cold draft???

 

[Fallenone05]

Uh oh! Checked on them tonight and they had moved their dumb butts from the covered part of the coop to the open net part! I moved them manually back to area where they wont get pelted from rain and wind. They tried to move again so I turned off the flashlight so they couldn't see. Why do they prefer the cold draft???

It's not that they prefer it, they just don't know where to sleep so they wander until it gets dark. They can't see very well at night, so they just sleep where they are. I have to teach mine where to roost too when they first go outside.

 

[Chicken Man Can]

It's not that they prefer it, they just don't know where to sleep so they wander until it gets dark. They can't see very well at night, so they just sleep where they are. I have to teach mine where to roost too when they first go outside.

Okay I may have to manually move them every night until they learn then. Though that's going to be hell when its raining ugh

 

[McChooky]

Last week I raised the heater, removed the dome and opened one end of the brooder so my 6 week old chicks would have to huddle to stay warm. They'll be off the heat & in the coop by next week.

 

[Chicken Man Can]

Last week I raised the heater, removed the dome and opened one end of the brooder so my 6 week old chicks would have to huddle to stay warm. They'll be off the heat & in the coop by next week.

Good plan. I raised the heater and only turned it on at night. I could tell my chicks were acclimated as they were huddling less. My concern is having to manually place them under the sheeted part of the coop every time. It was an easy job tonight, but it won't be when its raining. I don't think 6 week olds will survive being rained on plus a breeze in 30 - 40 temp. Unless I can somehow wall them to that part of the coop with plastic construction fence.

 

[McChooky]

My suggestion is to block off the area you have covered until they're older.Chicks can take months to train to go in the coop at night or get out of the rain.

 

[Chicken Man Can]

My suggestion is to block off the area you have covered until they're older.Chicks can take months to train to go in the coop at night or get out of the rain.

That's what I thought. The last pullets we got ran to the coop first thing though, as they were scared of the outdoors. The issue here might be that the coop and run are seamlessly integrated, so its hard for them to tell which is which.

 

[Chicken Man Can]

My suggestion is to block off the area you have covered until they're older.Chicks can take months to train to go in the coop at night or get out of the rain.

Well it only took a few times of manually moving them, they've figured it out since. I also built a ramp up to the loft that they can use since most of them aren't big enough to fly up there on their own. They are all acclimated and my worries are gone

 

[McChooky]

A motion light would help chicks get back up on the roost if they fall off or get knocked off.