What to do next, 5 week old silkies

[PBeuthin]

Hello everyone I am new to raising chickens and I have two 5 week old silkies. They are currently still in the brooder (although they escape it every chance they get), their pen is under construction as we speak and should be ready by this weekend. Is it too early to put them outside permanently? I live in Georgia and the weather has not dropped below 75 at night, although it is rather hot (90s) during the day and I noticed when I had them out the other day that they just layed in the dirt and had their beaks open like they were panting, so I took them back inside. I understand that silkies don't do good in extreme heat or the cold, or when wet. Also should I be feeding them "grown up" food? They are currently on the Manna pro chick starter medicated crumbles.

And finally, when I brought them they were brown and one had markings like a chipmunk on his back, and the other had markings like a leopard (spots), now Tiberious (chipmunk markings) is almost all black and Spock (spots) is gray with some brown, will this be the colors of their feathers as they get older? I don't know anything about chicken genetics so for them to have this colorations has surprised me. I included pictures of them when they were younger, and the last picture I took this morning while they were eating, it's hard to get them to sit still long enough for a picture now.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They can go out. I haven't found silkies to be any less hardy. I think medicated feed should be stopped at around 6 weeks. I would switch to a non medicated grower and keep them on that. You can add a bowl of oyster shells when they begin laying.

As far as their coloring, there will be some changes yet as the mature. Yours must be of mixed colors. They both looked like partridge color as chicks, but now are looking more black and blue.