what age do you put your chicks outside

[NewtochickensTN]

I am new to chickens, This is my first bunch of chicks. I have 7 that are now about 6 weeks old. They still have some down, but most of their feathers are in. I get advise from my son and started with my chicks in an unused bedroom in an old metal dog crate with a heat lamp and the sides of the crate covered. It made it easy for me to pull the base out and clean the tray. Several weeks ago they were moved outside into the garage with the heat lamp still on. I live in TN where we are still having some 40s at night and occasionally down in the upper 30's, so I put a small temp controlled heater in case the temps dropped to low. I have been opening the large garage door in the daytime to get them ready for the coop. They seem to like the air and act like they are ready to get. I have a large coop measuring 10 feet by 16 feet that's very secure. Should I wait until they have lost 100% of the down? They still have a little on their head and neck but all body feathers are in.

 

[Jayzandra]

My set up is a 4x8 shed made into a coop with a door on either side. One side has a chicken size door, which goes into the larger 5x20 coop. This coop opens into a 15x40 run. When I have babies in the spring I convert the smaller coop into a brooder and block the chicken door. My current babies are just about 4 weeks old. Now I have a large chicken tunnel, of sorts, made from small chicken wire coming off the chicken chicken door. It goes all the way out into the run. It is about 18 inches wide and 4 feet tall so they have plenty of room to run and try to "fly". It didn't take them long to learn how to get outside and back in. They go back into the brooder at night, on their own. Once they are old enough, I'll just take down the chicken tunnel. By then the rest of the flock will be used to their presence.

 

[rc4u]

jeez by some of these recommendations I would not be able leave my chickens outside as in ND our summer nites are 40 regular...but I go by nature, the hen has chicks in winter and she will bring them outside at young ages and free roam .... they are wild animals and can take more than most realize. But precautions are good just not babied per say...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

jeez by some of these recommendations I would not be able leave my chickens outside as in ND our summer nites are 40 regular...but I go by nature, the hen has chicks in winter and she will bring them outside at young ages and free roam .... they are wild animals and can take more than most realize. But precautions are good just not babied per say...

It's true if they are babied they are not ready to go outside until much later. I raise the heat source after a week, start turning it off during days at about 2-2.5 weeks and have it off all the time at 3 weeks. They are feathered enough to go outside and easily take a frost night at 4 weeks of age in spring. I'll be hatching into early summer this year and fully expect to put birds outside by 3 weeks.

 

[hmschlmom5]

Do you put a lamp on them on your sun porch? Is it completely enclosed? My sun porch is completely enclosed with 3 brick walls (the house) and one wall is half screened (facing the yard). We just moved the brooder box out there but was wondering if they still need the lamp. Our brooder is a plastic horse trough, it looks cramped. We have a pen area we try to put them in each day for a bit of sunshine and scratching in the grass. We have 14 chicks that are 5wks4days old. They do have feathers but some still have fluffy bums. Are they ok on my sunporch? Are they ok still in the horse trough or do they need room to run? When I put them in the grow-out pen, do they need grit?

 

[hmschlmom5]

I have kept my chicks in the garage with a floor heat lamp at night to keep the room at 70 and the heat lamp on their brooder and have raised it weekly. Last week I turned off the floor heater and two nights ago moved them to my sunporch without the lamp. Should I have done this? My sun porch is completely enclosed with 3 brick walls (the house) and one wall is half screened (facing the yard). We just moved the brooder box out there but was wondering if they still need the lamp. Our brooder is a plastic horse trough, it looks cramped. We have a pen area we try to put them in each day for a bit of sunshine and scratching in the grass. We have 14 chicks that are 5wks4days old. They do have feathers but some still have fluffy bums. Are they ok on my sunporch? Are they ok still in the horse trough or do they need room to run? When I put them in the grow-out pen, do they need grit?

 

[Phoenixxx]

I just hatched a bunch a few days ago. As of 2 days old, I have them outside during the day. As of one day old I unplugged the heatlamp for the day. I figure in reality, babies would be out and about with mom, plus I'm after cold-hardy birds. The youngest is 4 days old now and they're totally fine! It did get a bit breezy today so I put a board on the windward side of their outdoor house as a break.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Breeze picked up even more - enough that my sweater was no longer keeping me warm - so I gave them a cardboard box to shelter in. As you can see, the little ones couldn't care less! I'm sure they'll make use of it come nap time, though

 

[igot4roosters]

Well I put my chicks outside when they were about a month or two old and I had them in the pen so the hawks or other animals wouldn't get them. then after a few weeks we let them out and they were just fine. the big hens and rooster had to get used to the chicks though.

 

[Kymanne]

Ya got me there, PC. (where's the blushing smiley when you need it?) I did let them run around the house for awhile, but with no chicken diapers, cleaning up the poop was starting to feel like a full-time job!


Meghan

I usually give them the heat lamp 24/7 for the first few days, then start dropping it down, Week 2 the lamp is off during the day but on at night. ..Start of week 3 they are outside all day in a predator proof A frame. I put a little cardboard box with a small hole cut into it with lots of shavings so they can cuddle up. I also tarp the entire A frame at night to keep the drafts out. End of week 3 they are outside for good. They have always feathered up much faster than if I have them in the house. I live in the Australian tropics (70 at night), so get why in the winter you would be more hesitant to let them out.

I don't quite understand letting a fully feathered chicken stay inside the house with a heat lamp on it. There is a natural progression chicks go through, leaving the Hen gradually. Rule of thumb is that if you do not see a fully feathered chick sitting underneath its mother,(even in winter) you are probably babying it. I love my chickens, but at the end of the day they are still animals. I could not begin to imagine why someone would allow chickens to run around the inside of their home pooping everywhere.... Maybe I totally misunderstood the above quoted post?