Az from Mass, it’s going to depend some on what the coop looks like and how long you can stand to have them in your house or wherever the brooder is. My brooder is in my coop since I’ve got power there. I had chicks in there straight out of the incubator in February when the outside temperatures were below freezing. It is a fairly large brooder. I kept one end toasty warm but the far end occasionally had frost in it on the really cold mornings. That helped acclimate them to colder weather. After they got a little age on them, they would play a bit in the colder end during the day when it was warmer. That helps them feather out faster and get used to the cold.
I’ve had chicks out of this brooder spend nights without heat in my grow-out coop at 5 weeks old when the nights got to the mid 40’s Fahrenheit. I’ve had chicks less than 6 weeks old go through nights in the mid 20’s. That grow-out coop had good ventilation but good draft protection. And very important, they were acclimated. I think the oldest I’ve ever been was when I flew from living in sunny Spain and 90 degree weather to Scotland where it was misty rain and right around freezing. I’ve worked in -20 degree weather before and I wasn’t that cold. Acclimating is important.
I don’t know how cold it will be in Massachusetts when those chicks are ready to go outside. Probably pretty cold. I don’t know how you could acclimate them, maybe put your brooder in an outbuilding so one end can cool off or maybe take them out to play during the day, but it is possible to get the chicks now and raise them. It’s just not as easy as when the weather is warmer and there are more risks.
