When can chick go outside in the autumn

[ojb1488]

I'm from England so it's slightly chilly outside now (lows of about 3-5 celsius). My chick is a white leghorn. I read that they can go outside around week 4-5. Will they be all right at that age at cooler temperatures or does the coop need a heater?

 

[Perris]

hello @ojb1488 ! welcome to BYC
it depends on whether or not it's been raised by a broody, and if not to that, whether or not it's fully feathered and whether or not it's acclimatised to the outdoors. If it was hatched by a broody, just let her do her job; she will warm it as and when necessary. Once feathered it can control its own temperature. To acclimatise, expose it to the outdoors for increasing times per day, starting small and extending daily. The coop does not need a heater.

 

[Willowspirit]

Would it be by itself? We are getting similar temps and my full grown birds rely on each other to stay warm. I don’t have heat in my coop.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm from England so it's slightly chilly outside now (lows of about 3-5 celsius). My chick is a white leghorn. I read that they can go outside around week 4-5. Will they be all right at that age at cooler temperatures or does the coop need a heater?

It depends on few things. Does the coop have good ventilation yet provide good breeze protection? To me the easiest way to do that is to have openings up high so the coop does not create a wind tunnel where the chick is. Any breezes are above its head.

Is it fully feathered out? Most chicks are at 4 weeks old if they have been fed a reasonable diet but we say 4 to 5 because there may be some conditions where they are not at 4 weeks. 5 is usually safe.. That's one reason chick Starter is typically in the 18% to 20% protein range.

Has the chick been acclimated? Has it been exposed to cooler weather? If they are exposed to even short stretches of cooler weather they tend to feather out faster and just get used to it. They are wearing a down coat so it doesn't take much, but I think it helps.

How many do you have? At that age they tend to sleep in a group even in really hot weather just because they like the company, but if they are really cool they can huddle for some extra warmth.

Your temperatures are above freezing. I've had chicks just over 5 weeks of age go through overnight lows a few degrees C below freezing. They were acclimated, well-fed, and the coop had great ventilation up high and good breeze protection down low where they were. And I had several. I don't know what your conditions are like so I can't say for sure one way or the other. But they are a lot tougher than many people think.

 

[Skippersnh]

I think it's too young to be with rest of flock and to be in that cold of weather