Three-Week Olds in Coop?

[Humhill]

We're going out of town next weekend. The chicks will be 3 weeks old. Right now, they're in the basement in a guinea pig cage (which they're about to outgrow). Our coop is almost done, by the time we leave, it should have a roof and four walls.
Do ya'll think it will be ok for them to be in a big cardboard box in the new coop with a couple heat lamps? I'd rather the guy feeding for us not have to come in the house. This whole trip came up after I got my chicks or I would've waited til after the trip to get them.

ETA: We're in central NC. Weather.com forecast is highs from 63-69 and lows to 41 at night.

 

[Hillsvale]

well I tossed my 5 week old columbian plymouth in the coop two weeks ago, they have an 8x8 floor space and i made them a short roost and put a heat lamp over it... on low. It sits at -4 to zero through the night right now (celcius) and they are just fine this is your roughly 24-32 degrees.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

So long as they have some place to get warm and the coop is predator resistant this should be OK. It doesn't sound like you're trying to integrate them with older birds so there shouldn't be anything out there dangerous to them.

.....Alan.

 

[jmagill]

I put my three week olds in the coop last week. It is 16 degrees right now. They have food and water and a heat lamp to get under when they are cold.
They can't get out of the coop.

They are loving the room they have to run around in.

 

[txchickie]

It's fine. I just kicked out my 4 week olds a few days ago and it's been into the low 20's at night. They do have a 250w heat lamp and sleep under or near it at night. I turn it off during the day, and it's been into the upper 50's/low 60's. They're fine!


Although we're supposed to get 3-4" of snow tonight

(yes in March in TEXAS

) so I will go ahead and bring them back into the house so I can sleep without worrying about them all night.