When are chicks considered "Feathered"? Looking to remove lamp ASAP.

[song of joy]

They are really beautiful and look very healthy and happy! You'll love the buff orpingtons!

 

[Peggy O]

Thanks guys. They are really happy in their tiny little house, Our addition is nearly complete though, and I can't wait to get the run done too. We got down to 48* and they were just fine. iIts hot now though, 80 today. Crazy NY state weather, haha.

 

[gander007]

Thanks guys. They are really happy in their tiny little house, Our addition is nearly complete though, and I can't wait to get the run done too. We got down to 48* and they were just fine. iIts hot now though, 80 today. Crazy NY state weather, haha.

Wow 80 degrees could you sent some our way as it was 105 F degrees here in the shade to day and with the incubator het turned off it temp inside was at 100.7 for most of the day .....

Had to do extra work for the 3 week old chicks like bottles of ice in the brooder to get it down to 87 F for them but it was good not to see them with their beaks open trying to find cool air .....

 

[rkendrick]

I agree. When they look more like chickens (just shorter) and less like chicks, out they go. They will keep each other warm. A lamp is up to you if it goes below 50 but as long as they have shelter from the wind or rain, they'll stay warm. I used to put pine litter in my grow-out pen shelter (it's actually 2 lean-to, one on each side of the 8 x 8 pen, but the chickens that went through there always just kicked it out. I live in OK where the wind blows so the dust grows; dust is dust

 

[bopup]

I put a fan in my coop to push out hot air and keep the flies out.

 

[Jeff Lutz]

We recently adopted 15 chicks (4 different breeds) from a local school's 4-H egg hatching project. They are about 3 1/2 weeks old. Our temperature here has been 85+ during the day and 55-60 at night, so last week I put them outside in our small portable coop with a heat lamp. After the second day they were all outside scratching around inside their enclosed run, so I started turning the lamp off during the day. They're all doing just fine. They go inside the coop to eat and nap, then they're back outside scratching around.

We have 5 red hens that are just over a year old. I wonder what age the chicks should be before I start letting them run with our hens. The small coop and enclosed run the chicks are in now is in the yard with the adult hens so they are getting used to each other.

 

[Viollettt]

We recently adopted 15 chicks (4 different breeds) from a local school's 4-H egg hatching project. They are about 3 1/2 weeks old. Our temperature here has been 85+ during the day and 55-60 at night, so last week I put them outside in our small portable coop with a heat lamp. After the second day they were all outside scratching around inside their enclosed run, so I started turning the lamp off during the day. They're all doing just fine. They go inside the coop to eat and nap, then they're back outside scratching around.

We have 5 red hens that are just over a year old. I wonder what age the chicks should be before I start letting them run with our hens. The small coop and enclosed run the chicks are in now is in the yard with the adult hens so they are getting used to each other.

I always put mine near/in with the grown flock but so they can't get to each other. Make sure they can see each other do their thing like eating and whatnot. I put a flock food area next to the fencing or whatever I'm using to separate them. They get so used to each other that mine don't even look at each other at first and then the pecking order takes over. My flock likes little chickens. It doesn't take long. Then you need to have a way for the little ones to get away from the big ones. I use different sizes of fencing sort of as a lean to or whatever I have to use to make smaller places that bigger hens or roos can't get to easily.

 

[Viollettt]

I've loved reading this thread. I incubated some eggs and hatched out chickens for the first time that way about three weeks ago. I have used broody hens for a few years and watched how they do it. Mine have been outside since about 4 days old with a couple of lamps. It was colder then and now it's pretty warm. At three weeks I am still giving them a lamp at night as it makes them happier and it's still down in the 60s. They probably don't need it anymore but I wasn't sure because I have watched a hen let those chicks get under her for warmth until they are five weeks old. So they get that but it's different from the lamp as it's on demand either from the chicks or from the hen. But I had a hen take her chicks outside on day two and they were fine in summer. Especially with being right there to get under her. Yes, they cuddle up in the daytime when they want to and that seems to make them happy. It's fun having chicks that will come to me.

 

[KittieChick]

My 6 meat birds are 5 weeks this weekend... They're pretty nicely feathered, and when I come out at night to check on them, they're all in cluster looking happy. Then I stick them in the dog house and shut the door. They aren't happy then.

I'm thinking that they are okay to be doing whatever they like, but it's gonna hit 60 for the low over the next couple nights even though we'll be warm during day. The hour-by-hour shows the lowest temps at around 4 a.m or so.

Should I worry? The meaties look amazingly like real birds at this point. Can't really see any chick fuzz.

Thanks. I'm so new to this, I'm still wet!!!!

Kittie

 

[Scottschickcoop]

My Chicks were born on April 11, we also had them in the kitchen, Boy was that a dirty mess!! We put them out at 6 weeks, no light, and for the first couple of days we had to guide them into the coop. Then they just started doing it on their own.
I will use a heat lamp when I absolutely have to but a neighbors house, barn, and outbuildings all burned down a couple weeks ago and they lost everything. They had been farming forever not sure how the heat lamp do it but that was the determined cause. So my advice.....unless the temps get really low and they appear cold, don't do it!! But get the chicks outside...they will love it!!