We took our chicks outside yesterday, they loved it. It was probably about 80 degrees; they were in the sun. They seemed fine with the temperature. It is going to start getting colder soon. What temperature is too cold to bring them outside? -Grace
That depends on their age. As soon as they are fully feathered, they can stay outside all the time. Even if it is cooler than their indoor brooder, they can spend short times outside supervised. Momma hens hatch chicks when it's like 50 deg high's and they do fine.
I'm not sure of any numbers. Part of knowing what's good for them is watching them. If they huddle, run around frantically, or their cheeps sound shrill and higher pitched than usual, they're probably getting too cold. As long as they have 'happy' cheeps, and are taking time to stretch, preen or sunbathe, they're probably OK. -maureen
I always thought baby chicks were such fragile things until one of my hens decided to hatch some of her own in January. The hen house is unheated, yet at a few days old, they popped out from underneath her in short intervals. By two weeks of age, it was more like an hour at a time, and at three weeks, she was taking them for walks in the snow. Go figure.