When can I move my baby chicks into their coop/run?

[DebbieCu]

My chicks are 5 weeks old, they have been in a run in my indoor courtyard and have not needed the lamp for the past few nights. For over a week I have been putting them in the outdoor coop and run during the day and bringing them inside at night ( they run into the cat carrier to come in). They have been going into the coop to sleep during the day and I thought I'd leave them out tonight, go in after dark and shut them in the coop. I went out after dark and they were all clammering at the door of the run squeaking to come inside, I opened the carrier and they ran in, they are happily situated in their indoor run!! Am I spoiling them or are they still too young to be out all night?

 

[texas75563]

They get used to roosting in the same place. It gets late in the afternoon, 15 to 20 minutes before dark, my chicks are ready to get inside. They like to have time to get situated before dark. At dark is when I want my chicks put up. I got more predators out at night. I got my chicks March 1st they are just over 7 weeks old.

 

[ShawBeeFarm]

We're in Arizona where it is nice outside during the day (79 right now), but temps are dropping down to upper 40s at night.

I've been dropping their brooder temp by 5 degrees every week and they are adjusting nicely. But the brooder temp is currently only down to 75 degrees (they are 4 weeks old). In two weeks, the brooder temp will only be to 65, so I'm concerned that it will be too cold to move them outside at night? We don't have electricity out at the coop, although I could run an extension cable...

 

[CluckyCharms]

Ours were born October 26th and they're outside in the coop by themselves (no mama hen) and without a heat lamp or any heat source and they are doing great. It got down near freezing last night and this morning they were still right as rain, active little engines. Their coop is well ventilated though, and well sealed in all areas other than the ventilation doors. They're way more active out there in the cold and seem 100% happier. They are Norwegian Jaerhons.

But, I kept them in a room inside our house that was set at 60 degrees from week 3 onward with zero heatlamp and no heater. The week and a halfers we have in that same 60 degree room have a heatlamp that I actually had to move because they were lethargic and too hot. They are doing great at 70 degrees (with the heat lamp further back) at 1 and a half weeks old. Those are easter eggers, brahmas and a golden buff. They have each other to snuggle with when they get too cold, or they can move closer to the heatlamp end (they prefer to use each other).

I have a Silkie (just one) who doesn't like it any cooler than 85 (she's a fragile little thing), so she's in a different brooder along with an easter egger, and she hangs out under the lamp all day while the EE spends her time on the cool end.

I'm not saying all the experts who tell you that a brooder should be at 95 and decrease by 5 degrees every week are wrong, because I'm the newbie, not them and I know very LITTLE about chickens. But...ours are doing great in cooler temps and didn't do very well at all when I followed the instructions.

The best advice I ever received from anyone here at BYC with regard to raising chicks was "Let the chicks tell you what temp they need, not some book." Best advice ever. Chickens are individual, unique lives. They will huddle and shiver when they are too cold. They will spread their wings out as they lay down, and open and shut their beaks and just act "blah" when they are too hot. Watch your chicks and you'll learn really fast what temps they are most comfortable at.

The strong will do well even at temps cooler than what everyone else says they should be at. I want strong chicks, so I reduce heat early and make them adapt.

 

[Hillschicks]

As soon as the feathers are in ours go out... I fenced off a 7x2 area under my nest boxes as a grow area until they were big enough to mingle with the grown folk... Never lost a chick yet.. knock wood

 

[RWR]

I put my Easter Egger chicks outside in their coop at 5 weeks. It was in the mid 40’s at night and upper 70’s to low 80’s during the day (first week of March in Central Texas). They were getting out of the brooder and really starting to stink it up faster than I cared to clean it. I put a few handfuls of hay in the coop for insulation and had 5 chicks so they could huddle in the hay if they got cold. No other heat source. I was worried at first, but won’t be at all next time. No issues at all.