What should we do?!?!

[Mrs. K]

Even if not fully feathered, they will be fine. Mine go out at three to four weeks and are still very Downey. Chicks with a mother hen are outside at 2-3 days.

I am not quite sure where the notion of being fully feathered came from, it is not true.

They need the options of getting out of the wind, shade possibilities through out the day, food and water and space to run and exercises in.

I think that way too often, people with the very best of intentions keep them inside way too long and in way too small of set ups that chicks rapidly out grow, in an effort to keep them safe and well.

Mrs K

 

[FrostRanger]

Mine were spending days outside at 3 weeks with highs in the 50's and they were happy as clams, no one complained even a bit. I would not worry about 6 week olds in those temps at all, if anything I'd worry more about them being too hot than too cold if highs are in the 80's but as long as they have shade it shouldn't be a major concern either way

 

[rosemarythyme]

I am not quite sure where the notion of being fully feathered came from, it is not true.

They need the options of getting out of the wind, shade possibilities through out the day, food and water and space to run and exercises in.

x2. With one of my earlier batches of chicks I worried over one that was feathering in slower than the others (her back and chest were about 50/50 feathers and quills), and I wondered if I was being too pushy in taking away heat at 27 days old with lows at 48F. It wasn't an issue, she handled it just as well as the others with much more feathering.

 

[Squawkers]

It is not uncommon, for me at least, that my chicks are not fully feathered until 7-8 weeks. Especially with my polish and silkie

 

[FrostRanger]

Yeah, in both batches I raised I had one who was slow to feather. Both did just fine with no special treatment (other than putting a bit of blue food dye on Ginkgo's back to make sure the others didn't peck at her bare back). As long as they appear and act otherwise healthy I don't worry about them, they'll let me know if they're too cold (neither got cold by being outside despite not being fully feathered).