Transitioning from brooder to coop in hot climate

[stephanietcox]

Hi all!
Our chicks are just a little over 5 weeks old now, almost fully feathered.
We have had them outside, on our front porch, in their brooder from the very beginning, so they are accustomed to the Florida summer heat and humidity (currently in the high 90s with "feel like" temps around 105). During the last few weeks though, we have let them explore their future run, or at the very least opened the brooder, so they could roost on the edge and enjoy some fresh air. I am concerned about moving them to their coop and having to lock them in there for a week (in order to learn this is home), as it is quite hot in there. There is ventilation at the top of the coop and also about 60% if the bottom is open, just covered with hardware cloth. Will this provide enough air for them to be comfortable? And should I really not let them out at all for a whole week?

Also, if I am covering the nesting boxes, there won't be much "floor" in the coop for them to walk/lay/sit on, as the majority is open on the bottom, covered with hardware cloth. Will that bother them? Should I put some hay or straw on there? But then again, won't that hinder airflow? So unsure of what to do.

Added pictures of the inside of our coop.

Thanks in advance for your feedback and advice!

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[DiYMama540]

For some reason the links to your pics are not working.

My advice would be to just keep a close eye on them to see how they are tolerating the heat. Maybe add some frozen treats here and there to help keep them cool.

Keeping them confined for about a week is the best way to make sure they know where home is. Makes it much easier in the evenings when they put themselves to bed!

After being cooped up in a brooder tank, they will think the coop is a stay at the Ritz! They will enjoy exploring their new space!

Best of luck!!

 

[Willowspirit]

I don’t think it’s necessary to keep them in their coop for a week. Ours figured it out in a day or two. What made a difference was putting a small light in the coop at dark. They moved right in every evening.

 

[stephanietcox]

Let's try this with the pictures one more time

 

[DiYMama540]

I see what you mean now about not much room to walk around, but if you just put one long board over the nest boxes they could walk on top of them. You could put a little bit of straw over the hardware cloth if you wanted, but they should be alright without. Just keep an eye on their feet..if it seems they're having trouble add some bedding on it. My experience has been that my girls don't really spend much time in the coop except when they sleep and when it's time to lay an egg.

I agree that it usually doesn't take a whole week of being closed up, but some amount of time will help them adjust.

 

[DiYMama540]

Also I don't know if it's clear, but during this period of keeping them in, they are welcome to go to the run also. There's no reason to keep them in just the coop.

 

[stephanietcox]

Also I don't know if it's clear, but during this period of keeping them in, they are welcome to go to the run also. There's no reason to keep them in just the coop.

Oh, so they can still go out during the day and then into the coop only for the night? We will not let them free range in our backyard until they are fully grown and 100% good about going into the coop on their own at dusk.

 

[ManWithChicks]

Nah, Im in your same situation and Ive read that you are supposed to leave them in the Hen House for a week, with food and water provided inside of the coop, not the run.

Here is is hitting 100 degrees or so at 35-40% humidity in the unfinished coop, which should be done by this week.

I built a larger holding cage in my house, 5 x 5 because I want to hold them in at least another week to see if the heatwave gets a little better.

Im going to try this light in the coop method though, and hope they dont try to roost on the natural branches in their run.