when can i put my EE chicks in the coop??

[Desiree Brown]

I have EE chicks that my mom got me that are older then my other babys. The are flying and jumping in the crate with the babys and have more feathers then them. I also see them panting lately from the lamp. Its been hot here in NY this last week but I think its about to cool down to about 40 - 50 mon and tues during the day and 19-23 at night. is it too early to put them in the outside coop without a heat lamp?? I only have one heat lamp and I have 1-2 week old babys.

 

[Desiree Brown]

 

[felidaet]

You did not mention how old they are. They look to be big enough to put in a coop with a heat lamp. HOWEVER, they are not big enough to add to a coop with full grown birds. They need to be close to the same size as the older birds before integrating them. Integrating can be tricky. There are lots of threads here on BYC talking about integrating chickens into an established flock.

 

[Desiree Brown]

I dont have any bigger chickens right now. My mom grabed them from the tractor supply store on the way to my house st patricks day weekend b/c thats the breed my daughter wanted. and they came with a lot of feathers so i dont know how old they are. My oldest chicks were only 3 days old when my mom droped off the EE's.

So I guess my question is - how old is old enough to be in the coop with out the heat lamp? fully feathered?