When can I put these girls outside?

[Boisemorgan]

Hi y'all! I have 4-week-old chicks inside my home in a brooder and they are getting stinky... I live in Idaho and it's spring weather -- 40's at night and 50-60's during the day. What's the general consensus for moving chicks outside?

 

[junebuggena]

That's about the age that I move my chicks out. And those are pretty much the average temps here, year round.

 

[Rachealx4]

Would you please send some of that weather to Missouri? Lol
I don't have an answer for you. I think 4 weeks is the age when we start asking this. I know that I am.

 

[junebuggena]

Would you please send some of that weather to Missouri? Lol
I don't have an answer for you. I think 4 weeks is the age when we start asking this. I know that I am.

Only if you send some proper heat up here. It rarely gets over 75*.

 

[Rachealx4]

Deal!

Only if you send some proper heat up here. It rarely gets over 75*.

 

[Cryss]

Have you been lowering their brood heat? If they have their feathers start making it cooler each day until it matches outside. Monitor that they don't get chilled. Then start taking them out to their coop again monitoring. If they shiver or refuse to come out of a huddle in the hen house it's too cold. If they do well after a week outside you're golden.

 

[TK421]

I’m kind of freaking out about this now. I put my 4 week old chicks (feathered on legs, back, neck, etc) outside in the coop tonight. By the 5-degree-per-week rule, they should be at80 degrees, but it will get down to 58 tonight in south Texas. Am I worried over nothing?

 

[Percheron chick]

You are worrying over nothing.

 

[TK421]

Thank you @Percheron chick This helps tremendously. They spent their first night in the locked up coop last night and I moved them into the run this am. They weren’t even as huddled together as they were when I went to bed last night. Some were huddled, but several were scattered around the coop floor, looking comfortable.