I have 12 almost-2-week-old Cornish Crosses and 3 Barred Rocks. They're living inside in their brooder, and man, those boys are getting big FAST! They're also getting rowdy. When is it okay to let them go out on the lawn during the day to play? I'm sure they'd be fine with the daytime temps, but are they old enough to be nibbling on grass and bugs yet? Also, when is it okay to move them out to the henhouse? I will have a heat lamp out there, but it does get quite cool at night still (40s/50s).
I've taken my chicks out at a week old on nice days... they loved it. But I just do what work for me and my chickies... their Momma would have had them out.
They'd be fine outdoors in the grass so long as the temps are in the upper 80's. I will warn you though to make sure they are in an enclosed area because those little buggers are fast and almost impossible to catch once let loose outside! I'm not sure about the meat birds, as I haven't raised any of them before, but the chicks I can attest to. My mamma hens always have their babies out pecking around in the grass eating bugs and the grass at a day or two old so these chicks wouldn't be any different. They would also be fine to move out to the coop so long as they have an area that is blocked off with a heat lamp so they can't wander to far away from it. I have a brooder that is outside in my main/large coop and once chicks hatch here they get a week inside in the brooder so I can keep an eye on them and make sure they get off to a good start but then they go outdoors to the brooder in the coop. Hope that helps some!
I had mine out in the grass (supervised only in a chicken wire covered doggie coral) by 2 weeks. Mine didn't eat the grass at that age (doesn't mean they won't), but you would need to be giving them grit just in case they sample things. Just begin salting their feed with it daily. My chicks were moved to the "big coop" at three weeks (w/a heat lamp). Test your lamp out there. Place a thermometer on the floor under where you have the lamp securely hung (don't clamp it...dangerous) and see if you're able to maintain around 75-80 degrees directly under it. One of those max/min therm. are nice to have so you can see how things are looking in the wee hours...
