Warm weather--is 21 days too early?

[Graiae66]

Good morning,

I'd planned to move my chicks (6 BO, 6 Australorps) outside sometime this coming week when they are about 28 days old. They have most of their feathers. Our weather here is so warm--high 80s in the day, high 60s at night--I'm wondering if today (22 days) might be OK. They are getting a little crowded in the brooder (which seemed so roomy a week ago) and perhaps a bit stressed and bored. The run has a shade/rain cover, lots of space, feeders, water, and milk crates stuffed with pine shavings. No electricity, alas. What do folks think? Any way to make things warmer, or is that not really a big issue since our temps are warm already? Or just wait a bit longer?

Thanks!

Dee

 

[Chicken Fruit]

You know whats amazing, and a lot of people tend to forget this, is that people were setting and brooding chicks before electricity came along. And its not like one broody hen was managing to sit on a dozen 7 week old chicks all night to keep them warm in the absence of a heat lamp.

The temp during the day is fine, and they can huddle together and keep their core temperatures in the 80's and 90's easily in 60 degree evening weather so long as theyre out of the wind.

I put my 5=6 week old chicks out in the coop in late march in the north east. Granted they had the benefit of a heat lamp, but my may when the temperatures were only moderate I turned it off for the next batch.

Theyre all layng and big and happy and healthy.

Yours will be just fine.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Ideally at 3 weeks they should have temps around 80, you could always run an extention cord for a couple weeks. Or let them hudddle and take your chances.

 

[Graiae66]

Thanks to you both--yes, we tend to forget about the "early" days! They've been out there about an hour now and having a blast! There are two 5 week olds in there as well--gentle assertion of pecking order is going on, but nothing aggressive (just sort of reminding everyone who the big chicken is--she's a PR). I think I'll try it, and if after sunset they seem very cold, we'll see what we can do with the extension cord and a lamp. This is my first batch of chickens, so I'm still sort of feeling my way around all this.

Thanks again,

dee