Their first night outside on their own

[featherhead007]

tat the gate as close as they could get to him while still squealing in terror. My heart couldn't take it..........

They were just fine while it was light out... so I'm thinking maybe I'll let them spend a few days out there first to get used to the coop be!
Dog gone it, I told you so. At least it wasn't 2 am like I said.I knew that would happen, It happened to me twice. ........ gezzzz chickens!

 

[featherhead007]

Well, this thread has eased my anxieties as well. Sooo glad to know I'm not the only one that is having anxieties about sending them out on their own....... OUT THERE! in the COLDDARK AND SCAREY place...... It's gonna be a looooong weekend.

Not to mention possible predators!

 

[m3shelly]

Mine went out today! 4 weeks old ,fully feathered , and in the big coop with the hens. No problems! It’s 30 degrees plus .. and they are doing fine! I put 13 out of 40 to see how they would do. All went well. I’ll put some more in on Sunday when it’s 50 degrees. Fresh air will do them good

Great info! Thank you! I will fill their new coop with wood chips tomorrow, and see how they like the outdoors and future/new home.

 

[barn206]

They will be fine m3Shelly

 

[m3shelly]

They will be fine m3Shelly

Ah, yes. This is my first time. The new, unusual snow is off-putting, but I'm going to keep them in their coop for the first few days, as suggested elsewhere, to ensure they're comfy and return to the coop at/near dusk.

 

[Blooie]

My first batch went out here in Northwestern Wyoming at 5.5 weeks. I just flat out evicted them. Oh, I turned the heat lamp off for a few days first, and put the lamp out there for them when I moved them. The first night our temps plummeted down to 18 degrees. I was up all night long, jumping out of bed and checking on them. They were fine. I was freezing! They were all snuggled down in front of the pop door and not even using the lamp. The second night was the same story...except I only got up once to check them. The third day the lamp came out, and that night it snowed.

That was on an April 1st. We didn’t get our last snowfall until June 6th. If I’d kept them in until temperature charts, books and experts said they could go out, they’d have been in the house in the brooder until they were 17 weeks old. Yeah, not happening. That April was when I began to understand that estimates of how much heat chicks really need was not quite accurate, to put it nicely. A mother hen has no nightlights, no space heaters, and her chicks are out running over mud puddles and the even occasional patch of snow, and thriving. I never raised chicks in the house again. 8 batches, raised outside from the start. I had to decide first what I was doing - was I trying to raise delicate little Divas in a hothouse or did I want strong, self confident chicks who would thrive outdoors where they would happily live out their lives? A two pound hen knows what they need. Why is it so hard on us?

Putting them out that first time is nerve-wracking, and I sure understand that, but eventually they simply have to live out there. The more fuss we make about it, the more it gets to us. So if not now, when? Wean them off the light or the heating pad and prepare them. And for those using a heating pad, you’ve probably noticed that they hardly use it anymore after 3-4 weeks anyway, preferring to wean themselves from heat the same way they decided they needed a warmup. That’s the beauty of letting them self regulate. For lamp raised chicks, they’ll hate you when the light first goes out, especially the first few nights, but after throwing the equivalent of a toddler’s temper tantrum they get over it quickly. We, on the other hand......

 

[barn206]

This is my 2 nd year and chickens are more resilient than I thought. This batch I raised in my garage for the past few weeks and they did fine. No dust in the house this time

 

[featherhead007]

Ah, yes. This is my first time. The new, unusual snow is off-putting, but I'm going to keep them in their coop for the first few days, as suggested elsewhere, to ensure they're comfy and return to the coop at/near dusk.

If your coop is big enough, just bring in a mattress and ...... never mind.

 

[m3shelly]

This is my 2 nd year and chickens are more resilient than I thought. This batch I raised in my garage for the past few weeks and they did fine. No dust in the house this time

Thanks for the advice! I have been lifting the heat lamp every couple days, to wear them off. I was just hoping it would be closer to 60-70 during the day, and 40-50 at night (like a normal spring in Wisconsin!)

I don't want to shock them, but they're getting too big for their brooder box, and don't have enough room.

Thank you!!

 

[barn206]

Btw just to mention, I do have a heat source for them and a place to escape should they get picked on .. but my chickens get along and they have been very docile. I’ll keep the heat til they hit the roosts