Unsure how old my chickens are, do they look like they still need heat?

[goldensussexstateofmind]

Hello! I am new to raising chickens and I just want to make sure my girls are going to be warm and happy. I have 3 chickens a Leghorn, and Golden Sussex and a Red Buckeye. I bout them from IFA
4 1/2 weeks ago but unfortunately the boy helping me at the store did not know how old they were when I bout them. All 3 of them look fully feathered to me, when they take dirt baths outside I can see layers of feathers all over their bodies. I live in Utah and it has been 80 degrees Farinheight here, and around high 60's at night. Yesterday I decided to move them outside permanently. They spent their first night outside (with no heat lamp) locked inside their coop. In the morning they seemed very happy and were sleeping close to each other but not huddled together. Now we have a cold front coming in and it will get down to 35 degrees. Do you think they will be comfortable without a heat source in this setup?
(Don't worry the dogs are harmless)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They may be OK without heat. Remove the heat and if they don't crowd together during the day, they're fine.

I see predator vulnerabilities in your setup.

 

[goldensussexstateofmind]

They may be OK without heat. Remove the heat and if they don't crowd together during the day, they're fine.

I see predator vulnerabilities in your setup.

I live in a suburban neighborhood what types of predators do I need to protect them against? I have never seen or heard of anything other than house cats around.

 

[Blooie]

I've watched a family of raccoons coming out of a storm drain - smack in the middle of downtown Denver. They are everywhere and escaping neighborhood dogs or strays can also be a huge threat. You always have to think about predators, no matter where you live.

 

[chickenman909]

love your set up!! I personally don't think they need a heat lamp as long as in there house the have lots of bedding and no wind I think they would be fine.

 

[N F C]

OH, you have a Westie! Best dog I ever had was a Westie, just love them

Ok, back to chickens! Fox will live in town (my parents had a whole family of them in the middle of suburbia). Snakes, rats, things like that will eat eggs or go after the birds if they're small enough.

 

[SpringDaleChickenLady]

I would add the heat lamp back in for the night if it’s going to get down in mid thirties. I would turn it on around midnight and off by 9am.

 

[goldensussexstateofmind]

I've watched a family of raccoons coming out of a storm drain - smack in the middle of downtown Denver. They are everywhere and escaping neighborhood dogs or strays can also be a huge threat. You always have to think about predators, no matter where you live.

I live in a suburban neighborhood what types of predators do I need to protect them against? I have never seen or heard of anything other than house cats around.

Thanks for the advice I will look into making this more secure.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I live in a suburban neighborhood what types of predators do I need to protect them against? I have never seen or heard of anything other than house cats around.

You don't see or hear predators because you aren't outside at night with night vision glasses or with a game cam set up in your yard.
The type depends on what part of the world you are in. The suburbs of the US have more predators than most places. There are more raccoons per square mile in cities than in rural areas. Downtown Toronto is the #1 raccoon capital in the world.
There are 2,000 coyotes living inside the city of Chicago.
In St. Louis, foxes and bobcats have been sighted in the city. Mountain lions have been caught on game cams in the suburbs. Black bears have been sighted in the suburbs here.
That doesn't even cover neighbors' or feral dogs, opossums, weasels, mink, etc..
2 issues I can see are the ability of some predators to dig under the base and your use of chicken wire as the only barrier protecting your birds.
Raccoons and large dogs can go through chicken wire like it is butter. Chicken wire keeps chickens in but doesn't keep predators out.
Mink and weasels can get into a 1" opening.
There isn't much keeping dogs, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and others from digging under your pen. Worse yet is that some of these predators have good night vision and chickens are blind at night so they have no defense.
I am in a fairly heavily populated area of the suburbs. Over the years, I've lost lots of chickens to dogs, several to opossums, way too many to raccoons and over $3,000 worth of chickens to mink in the course of a week.

 

[BantyChooks]

They may be OK without heat. Remove the heat and if they don't crowd together during the day, they're fine.

I see predator vulnerabilities in your setup.

Agreed. I currently have 4 week old chicks in temperatures under freezing with no heat and they're doing just fine. Very cute birds!