The big move

[TippleTenny]

At what age are they ready for the coop? They are a little over 3 weeks old. I'm starting to worry that the box I have them in isn't big enough. They are getting BIG and fast!

 

[Judy]

Where are you, as in, what climate? You can brood them in the coop from day one, with the right setup. They are usually fully feathered around 6 weeks and can tolerate most any temp at that point. Have you been taking them outdoors for short outings, so they're a little closer to acclimated to your weather? Do you have the heat lamp turned off in the brooder now? (You can go to your profle and add a general location to your postbit. Helps with a lot of questions.)

They are undoubtedly bored and would benefit from the space and ground to peck and scratch on. At 3 weeks, the brooder should really have at least a sq ft of usable floor space per chick.

Are you feeding medicated feed? If you haven't taken them outdoors, have you brought a clump of sod, to begin their exposure to cocci? I would do this if you haven't. It begins their process of developing a natural immunity.

 

[TippleTenny]

I'm in south louisiana. It's HOT and humid. I've got them in a 40 gallon storage tote right now. I brought them outside one day, I wa terrified and hovered over them thinking they were still to young. I plan on having them free range on about a half acre so it's not covered. I'll put some sod in their thing today. They are on Unmedicated feed.

 

[gander007]

I'm in south louisiana. It's HOT and humid. I've got them in a 40 gallon storage tote right now. I brought them outside one day, I wa terrified and hovered over them thinking they were still to young. I plan on having them free range on about a half acre so it's not covered. I'll put some sod in their thing today. They are on Unmedicated feed.

These are my chicks at three weeks of age the temp was 60F
in late January and when it got down to 50F I would bring them
in and by six weeks they stayed out and never came back in
but for the next six weeks I just covered up the cage with an
old blanket to keep out the drafts ......

 

[Judy]

I would turn off the heat lampp now if it's still on, and start taking them out for outings. (You'll need to fence them.) I would probably have them living in the coop within another week.

I brooded some chicks in my coop with a heat lamp in the spring a few years ago. It''s a large coop with a "room" (of chicken wire walls) that's about 5' x 5', where the chicks were. At 3 weeks, they were sleeping as far from the heat as they could get, so I turned it off. Nights were still into the 50''s or 60's. They are more resilient than we think, especially if raised outdoors, and once they have recovered from shipping stress.