When can I put my 2 week old chicks outside?

[jmeeter88]

My BOs and RIRs are two weeks old. When can I put them outside? We are average 60-80 during the day and 40-50 during the night...

 

[love4mychick]

do it now i but my chicks out side at 2 weeks four 4 hours every day and then after one week the stay outside that is my rule

 

[jmeeter88]

How old were your chicks when you put them outside? And what was the average temps?

 

[love4mychick]

i but them outside at 2weeks for only 4 hours though then after a week i kept them outside and it was 70-75 (i live in florida so its always nice out

 

[chickenguysmom]

Too cold. I think they start out needing 95 degrees the first week then it drops 5 degrees per week until they are 8 weeks old then they should have enough feathers and down to keep them warm all the time. At two weeks yours should have temps of 80-85 degrees including night time. They just don't have enough feathers and bulk to keep them warm at 50 degrees.

I have 15 two week olds and I take them out for short outings (less than an hour) if the temp is above 75 degrees. You can see after awhile they get cold and tired. The temp where I brood them is kept at about 80 degrees and I put a 60 watt bulb in their tub at night only. But for the first week I had it on 24/7.

If you have a place to put them outside make sure it isn't damp/wet (like on the ground) and not drafty. If they are cold they use their energy to keep themselves warm and do not put that energy into growing.

With that said I also have a pair of chicks that went out at 3.5 weeks but the broody hen went with them and they are larger breed chickens so they were not delicate. They were not fully feathered but the mom makes sure to keep them warm. Also, our coop is off the ground.

Also, our day time temps are 70-80 and nights have been 60-65 for about a week or two.

Hope that helps.