When can chicks go outside

HI,
I live in Colorado Springs and I am getting 4 pullets 4/5/15. We'll have the coop and large run done before we get them (can't wait). So my question is 6 weeks old enought to go out to the coop?
We still have cold days and noghts in April. Do they need a heat light in the coop? The coop is not really that big is there another heat source we can use? This is new to me I have read 7 books
but still am not sure about this part.

Thank- You
Debbie
 
At six weeks they should be fully feathered, so they should be able to handle any cold an adult can take. The only worry might be the shock of going from a heated brooder to freezing temperatures. If they haven't been exposed to the cold before, you could put a couple of gallon jugs filled with hot water in the coop for a couple of nights till they get used to the cold. A few nights of the hot water cooling off should get them used to the ambient air.
 
At six weeks they should be fully feathered, so they should be able to handle any cold an adult can take. The only worry might be the shock of going from a heated brooder to freezing temperatures. If they haven't been exposed to the cold before, you could put a couple of gallon jugs filled with hot water in the coop for a couple of nights till they get used to the cold. A few nights of the hot water cooling off should get them used to the ambient air.

I have three nine week old LF, fully feathered, still in the house. My husband insists they shouldn't go out until May. They're in a large pen and I think it should at least be moved to the garage but that idea is falling on deaf ears. I like the hot water jug idea. Our nights have been in the low to mid forties but can go down as low as 35. What do you think?
 
I have three nine week old LF, fully feathered, still in the house. My husband insists they shouldn't go out until May. They're in a large pen and I think it should at least be moved to the garage but that idea is falling on deaf ears. I like the hot water jug idea. Our nights have been in the low to mid forties but can go down as low as 35. What do you think?
At nine weeks they can handle those temperatures very well. I often start my chicks outside brooding in a tractor coop in March. The corners of the coop away from the heat source is often cold. At six weeks they are fully feathered and mostly are staying away from the heat. I remove the heat at that time. That is usually around mid-late April depending on when I started them., So right about now they are in their coop without heat at six weeks.
 
At nine weeks they can handle those temperatures very well. I often start my chicks outside brooding in a tractor coop in March. The corners of the coop away from the heat source is often cold. At six weeks they are fully feathered and mostly are staying away from the heat. I remove the heat at that time. That is usually around mid-late April depending on when I started them., So right about now they are in their coop without heat at six weeks.

Thanks. We put them out yesterday afternoon and they seem fine. It's even supposed to be warmer tonight and tomorrow.
We would brooder chicks in the garage before we put them out but unfortunately we are using that area for storage now.
 
Hi, sorry for kicking a tread to death, but I live in Michigan, it's getting Down in to the mid 30's and lower 40's at night. My chicks are almost 7 weeks old. I have a small flock of 5. I bought a store bought chicken coop, it's small, but they are having fun with it. I have no way of putting a heat light in it. I have been putting the chicks outside during the day and bring them back in at night. They haven't had a heat light in the house for about 3 weeks. I do have a red flood light on them in the brooder in the house, to keep them form pecking each other. When should I let them stay out overnight?
 
Hi, sorry for kicking a tread to death, but I live in Michigan, it's getting Down in to the mid 30's and lower 40's at night. My chicks are almost 7 weeks old. I have a small flock of 5. I bought a store bought chicken coop, it's small, but they are having fun with it. I have no way of putting a heat light in it. I have been putting the chicks outside during the day and bring them back in at night. They haven't had a heat light in the house for about 3 weeks. I do have a red flood light on them in the brooder in the house, to keep them form pecking each other. When should I let them stay out overnight?
If your chicks have been without a heat lamp for 3 weeks, there is no need for the red flood light to keep them from pecking each other at night. Once the sun goes down and the area where the brooder is gets dark, they'll go to sleep. It's the natural day/night cycle, and once they go to sleep they are impervious to just about everything. They won't peck at each other - they just want to go to bed. They might be mad when that light is off for the first night, but they get over it. They need that dark/light cycle so they aren't freaked out by the darkness their first night in the coop.

As for putting them out, that's up to you but I'll wager they're ready. Mine start out outside under a heating pad cave from the time I get them home. But by this age yours should be feathered enough. It's been in the teens and 20s here and mine are doing great. First batch brooded outside are now 7 and 6 weeks old, and haven't been using any heat source for 3 weeks. The newbies are almost 2 weeks old and they are still using the cave but spend more time out of it than in.
 
Hi,

I just completed my chicken coop and will be letting the girls into it this weekend. I say some discussions regarding mite killer, which got me thinking. Do I need to treat the run area or the coop for any pests before letting the girls in there permanently?

I have 3 chicks at 7-8 weeks and 2 that are 4 weeks/month old.

Should I keep the younger ones indoor longer? If I separate, will the older one's start pecking the little ones? They are currently all together right now.

Thanks,
CT
 
Last edited:
This thread is a year old. I'd suggest that you take the plunge, next time, and start a new thread. It will generate a lot of response, I'm guessing. I wouldn't treat your run for mites that you have not seen. IMO, if it ain't broke, don't spend money trying to fix it. NOt to mention the damage the insecticide will do to the soil life. As far as putting your chicks in the coop, the recommendation is that when they are fully feathered, they no longer need heat. But, even so, they will need to be hardened off, just like you would need to harden plants off. Are you using a heat light, or a heating pad to brood them? Check out Blooie's thread regarding heating pad brooding. If you have means to give them a little heat in the coop, they should actually do better in the coop than they will staying in a brooder in the house. You could also make them a huddle box for the coop: simply a box with a decent sized opening for them to get in, put lots of nice bedding in it so they can cuddle there and stay warm. The sooner you get these 2 groups together, the better they'll get along. Expect some initial squabbling. But if you do it when you put both groups into the coop, the new territory should make the introduction go well. You'll just have to supervise initially. I like to give treats when introducing groups of birds. Enjoy. Do you have adult birds? If so, my response needs modification! In that case, you can still move them out, but put a fence between adults and babies. Check out Azygous "panic room" with integration portals.
 
Well we have one inch of snow on the ground and its in the teens here. But our girls are completely feathered out so we are planning on putting them in the outside unheated coop tomorrow. We are wondering if we should put a heat lamp in there for them as they have never been in temps below 50 degrees in our heated basement.
I would definitely put a heat lamp out for them.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom