These chicks have me stumped about bedtime

[rosemarythyme]

They are moving out into the coop soon (not sure when I should do that? I was thinking this weekend or next if the weather is fair.

Go by temperatures. If it's still pretty moderate and the coop is 100% finished then this weekend would be fine.

They are 8 days old today) I am worried they will be extremely panicked out there. Should I put the brooder box in there first? Or just put them out in the open in there with their heat plate? It is ~150 sq ft and the brooder is ~35 sq ft.

I would put the brooder in there with the heat plate and open up one side if possible to allow them to come and go as they wish. It gives them something of a home base to return to, where they know food and warmth will be.

Also regarding the coop. I was thinking of keeping a single bulb on 24 hrs a day for the first 2-3 days so they aren't in darkness until they've been in there for a few nights and settled a bit. Do you have any thoughts on this?

How well lit is the interior of the coop? If you have a good number of windows or vents then adding artificial light really isn't necessary, especially since it sounds like you've been trying to give them a day/night cycle already (even if they haven't been agreeable with it!)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I think keeping the lights on 24/7 is a bad plan. It's unnatural and they won't rest. They need a period of darkness in order to sleep. I agree with @rosemarythyme , try to keep them in a normal, natural rhythm of day/night sleep/wake cycle.

 

[Collieoftheborder]

How well lit is the interior of the coop? If you have a good number of windows or vents then adding artificial light really isn't necessary, especially since it sounds like you've been trying to give them a day/night cycle already (even if they haven't been agreeable with it!)

There is an East and a West facing window so it's decently bright in there. Thanks for helping me come up with a plan. One more question if I could! I have a fully covered and predator proof run attached to the coop. It is a true fortress. At what age do you think I should give them unlimited daily access to that? My neighbor with chickens said about 5 weeks. But I honestly have no clue if that's right or not. These are all Austrolorps and New Hampshires.

 

[Collieoftheborder]

I think keeping the lights on 24/7 is a bad plan. It's unnatural and they won't rest. They need a period of darkness in order to sleep. I agree with @rosemarythyme , try to keep them in a normal, natural rhythm of day/night sleep/wake cycle.

I'm big on the natural sleep cycle too so I like this plan

 

[BigBlueHen53]

There is an East and a West facing window so it's decently bright in there. Thanks for helping me come up with a plan. One more question if I could! I have a fully covered and predator proof run attached to the coop. It is a true fortress. At what age do you think I should give them unlimited daily access to that? My neighbor with chickens said about 5 weeks. But I honestly have no clue if that's right or not. These are all Austrolorps and New Hampshires.

If it's predator proof I'd say any time. How old are they now?

 

[Collieoftheborder]

If it's predator proof I'd say any time. How old are they now?

9 days old

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Maybe with supervision. Mama-brooded chicks go outside from day two or three or maybe even from day one, but mama's there to teach and protect. I guess if they were mine I'd wait a couple of weeks, depending on temps. They'll be fully feathered somewhere between three to five weeks depending on breed, when fully feathered they should be able to go outside with no problem but I would not let them get wet even then. That's my opinion here in my climate and my back yard though, others may have differing opinions. I'd ask @Ridgerunner though, there's no one whose opinion I value more.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Last night they didn’t even go under the brooder plate at all, all night, they just all snuggled together against the wall of the brooder (except 2-3 that go under the brooder plate every single time no problem! I am unsure if these are the same 2-3 chicks or not)

They did not use the heat plate (except for a few) and they survived. Think about that. What does that tell you about how much they need the heat plate? With that many chicks they can keep each other warm, even in those temperatures. I'd leave it in there as added insurance but they all survived.

Tonight I turned the light off while it was still light out and let the normal sunset put them to bed. There was no panicking and crushing but they are still not under the brooder plate.

Chicks and chickens do not like change but they can be pretty adaptable. Going from bright light to immediate dark is a pretty big change. The first time mine experience that they might be upset for 15 minutes or so, then they settle down. The next night they may be upset for 5 minutes before they settle down. Usually after that it is not an unexpected change.

They are moving out into the coop soon (not sure when I should do that? I was thinking this weekend or next if the weather is fair. They are 8 days old today) I am worried they will be extremely panicked out there. Should I put the brooder box in there first? Or just put them out in the open in there with their heat plate? It is ~150 sq ft and the brooder is ~35 sq ft.

How cold will it be in the coop versus in the garage? Any significant difference? Other than size, why is your coop different from your garage?

My brooder is in the coop. I put chicks in it straight from the incubator or the post office. I use a heat lamp and keep one end of my brooder warm enough even with the temperatures outside below freezing. My broods are about half the size of yours, around 20 chicks.

You do not get guarantees with living animals, anything can happen. You can wait to move them if you wish. You can move the brooder box in there if you wish. You can try just moving them out into the coop itself if you wish. I don't know what will happen with yours but I'd probably just move them into the coop and see what happens. Definitely check up on them after dark.

Also regarding the coop. I was thinking of keeping a single bulb on 24 hrs a day for the first 2-3 days so they aren't in darkness until they've been in there for a few nights and settled a bit. Do you have any thoughts on this?

I appreciate your help