too cold for keets to be outside?

[birdbrain5]

is a low of 60 degrees at night too cold for guinea keets to be in an outdoor hutch? they range from 2-4 weeks old, and they are in with chickens that are probably about 6 weeks old. they all huddle together at night, the smallest one sleeps under the big ones. i will have deep shavings down and put hay in a corner under the little sheltered part of the hutch. is this too cold for them? right now they are in the garage, no heat lamps or anything so i dont know if it will be a huge temp difference, except for wind-which we havent had any of.

 

[robin416]

Your biggest concern if you don't provide an additional heat source is piling. You already said the smallest is under the biggest, that is piling. When piling becomes the only means for survival in the cold it also causes death. So until you can provide them with an outside source of heat until they are old enough I don't recommend moving them and adding a heat source while they are in the garage.

Young birds do not have a reliable temp control developed yet. Once they get cold it is very difficult and very often impossible for them to get their body temps back up.