My 2 rescued girls are around 6 weeks old and fully feathered for the most part. I have been taking them outside during the days if its not snowing (had snow twice this last week) and above 40 degrees, and then bringing them in at night since my light is still in the brooder with 9 other chicks. Today is the first day that they actually were able to be outside from morning to dusk. I actually forgot they were out there till it got dark, and they started screaming. Its currently 51 outside at 8:45 pm, and they said that its going to get down to about 33 overnight with the winds picking up in the early morning and rain tomorrow with the high of 49, but rain most of the day. I will probably still put them outside tomorrow even in the rain, they have a good coop they can go into and also can go under the coop if they want to be out in the dirt. Plus the run is under our deck, so it doesn't get as much rain/snow.
So after hearing them screaming like they were going to die, I ran outside and once I opened the run door they both flew to me, and so I picked them up and brought them in the house. They are in an x-large dog crate with no light for almost 2 weeks now, and its about 68 in the room they are in, but they are now screaming in there as well. I have been taking them outside during the day weather permitting for about 2 weeks now, and they have never screamed like this coming in at night, usually they just go right in the crate, and go to sleep. Usually don't hear much from them till morning.
So do you think I should just leave them outside, no light, there is shavings in the coop? I just feel bad because its just the 2 of them to huddle together, if there was more of them I wouldn't worry as much. I was actually planning on officially kicking them outside this coming up week, they said we should start getting out of this cold weather and starting to warm up in the high 60s with 40s as the lows towards Friday. But its going to be cold and wet Mon-Wed, and we are in the mountains, so we could still get snow.
Any thoughts? Sorry I'm totally new, and I just don't want to go out in the morning to frozen chicks, since they did say 33 overnight, but it could get colder up here in the mountain.
So after hearing them screaming like they were going to die, I ran outside and once I opened the run door they both flew to me, and so I picked them up and brought them in the house. They are in an x-large dog crate with no light for almost 2 weeks now, and its about 68 in the room they are in, but they are now screaming in there as well. I have been taking them outside during the day weather permitting for about 2 weeks now, and they have never screamed like this coming in at night, usually they just go right in the crate, and go to sleep. Usually don't hear much from them till morning.
So do you think I should just leave them outside, no light, there is shavings in the coop? I just feel bad because its just the 2 of them to huddle together, if there was more of them I wouldn't worry as much. I was actually planning on officially kicking them outside this coming up week, they said we should start getting out of this cold weather and starting to warm up in the high 60s with 40s as the lows towards Friday. But its going to be cold and wet Mon-Wed, and we are in the mountains, so we could still get snow.
Any thoughts? Sorry I'm totally new, and I just don't want to go out in the morning to frozen chicks, since they did say 33 overnight, but it could get colder up here in the mountain.