Two-week old chicks

[RicknBarb]

My wife and I are first-time chicken owners. We have 4 2-week old Asian blacks. They're in the coop we got, with a heat lamp. We live in Pittsburgh and it's cool right now. How long should we keep them in the coop before letting them into the run? We figured about 5 days. How long before we can let them range in the garden?

 

[Peppercorngal]

You chicks will need heat, at least when temperatures are below 75 degrees or so until they are pretty much fully feathered. Once they have their feathers (except their heads) they won't need heat anymore, regardless of the temperatures. You can let them out in the run now and the garden as well, making sure there are no foods that will poison them, like potatoes! Just be sure to watch them so they don't get caught by predators (even a cat likes a nice chick meal) and be sure they know how to "find their way home" to the coop at night! Good Luck!

 

[rosemarythyme]

5 days sounds fine. As long as they know how to get in and out of the coop they can get heat as they need it, and otherwise explore outdoors.

 

[RicknBarb]

So the chicks are three weeks old now. It's amazing how fast they grow! We let them out of the coop and they figured everything out, getting down into the run and back into the coop at night. Thanks for the responses from a couple of you. They were very helpful.

Question: Can we let them out into the garden now? The coop is in the garden, which is about 50 by 50 feet and full of plants.

 

[pozees2]

Is the garden fenced or otherwise protected from predators? At 3 weeks they are still small enough to be taken by essentially every predator out there. While they will instinctively hide under whatever is growing there if they detect a danger above them, they will be defenseless against snakes, dogs, cats, raccoons, skunks, weasels, mink, opossum, fox, etc.

 

[3KillerBs]

Your chickens will destroy your garden -- eating the leaves and scratching up the roots.

 

[GC-Raptor]

So the chicks are three weeks old now.

Can we let them out into the garden now? The coop is in the garden, which is about 50 by 50 feet and full of plants.

At 3 weeks old; hawks, ravens, and crows will find them a delicacy during the day.
The garden will need to be covered.
A Coopers Hawk attacked my first Flock of chickens "7 months old" in their open top pen.

Fox, bobcat, dogs and cats roam during the day.
The fence surrounding the garden will need to be stronger than chicken wire fence, something like 2"x 4" welded wire or chain link fence surrounded by 2' high 1" chicken wire to keep chicks inside.
I covered my second Flocks chain link pen with deer netting, surrounded by 2' high 1" chicken wire and 3' high tarp.

GC

 

[RicknBarb]

Is the garden fenced or otherwise protected from predators? At 3 weeks they are still small enough to be taken by essentially every predator out there. While they will instinctively hide under whatever is growing there if they detect a danger above them, they will be defenseless against snakes, dogs, cats, raccoons, skunks, weasels, mink, opossum, fox, etc.

Thanks pozees2, That's very helpful. The garden is fenced but we see neighbor cats in their often, so we'll opt for safety for the chicks.