Think tomorrow will be the day!

[mcliff3]

I think we've reached the point where the girls need to move outside! They are 4 weeks old today and they are getting too big and too active for the brooder! All but one of them have a good amount of feathers, with some down feathers still left - mostly around the head. They are all close to pigeon size now. We were going to move them outside this morning, but the temps tonight might dip into high 50's. The nightly temps the rest of the week should stay in the mid to high 60s. We are going to move the heat lamp out into the coop just in case, but we were nervous about the 50s....

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They should be fine.

 

[mcliff3]

So quick question for all - when we move them into the coop tomorrow - should we also let them have access to the covered (and screened in) run as well - or restrict them to just the coop for the first day?

 

[sumi]

You can let them have access to the run as well, so they can explore if they feel like it. They may be a bit nervous at first, and stay in the coop, but my latest batch of chicks were all over the place the moment their little feet touched the ground lol If you're worried about the night time temperature drop you can move them inside for the night and then leave them out when it's a bit warmer. Or just leave them out, without the heat lamp, and watch how they behave when it cools down. If they dog pile and huddle very close together for warmth, bring them in. If they look comfortable, leave them out, they'll be fine.

At the moment I have some semi-feathered youngsters outside full time and roughly 10 day olds outside during the day and our daytime temperatures are around 60F at times. Night times I'm not sure, but the semi-feathered ones have been perfectly fine out there.

 

[Jensownzoo]

Putting a little "night-light" in the coop area will help them gravitate to it when the sun starts going down. I have been using one of those battery-powered LED candles that turns itself off after two hours--works wonderfully in my grow-out pen where the chicks don't have experienced chickens showing them "how things are done"

 

[mcliff3]

Move complete! A plate of hard boiled egg to let them know they are in their new home didn't hurt!

 

[mcliff3]

Starting to explore their run....cautiously of course!

 

[azygous]

They're going to thrive in all their new-found space! Don't fret the 50s at night. That's of minimal concern at this stage. They will compensate by snuggling together.

Be prepared to show them how to get back inside the coop when night comes. Remember, to chicks, the coop will look totally different when they're outside in the run looking back at it. The night light will definitely make things easier on them.

 

[mcliff3]

After my son (who we now have decided is the "chicken whisperer"

sat in the run for awhile the girls decided it was a great place to be.