When do they move out of the brooder and how old are they?

[hoog]

When do they move out of the brooder and how old are they?

I have a bunch of Guinea Keets. I don't know how old they are (I think I bought them in mid-September), but they are starting to get waddles and loose the feathers on their head. At night could drop into the 40s but so far its been 50s and 70+ during the day. I keep the brooder in the house and I turned off the brooder bulb a few days ago with no issues. I am building a coop and pen on Tuesday specifically for my guineas in which I plan to keep a breeding flock. I also plan to have a free range flock from those I don't plan to breed.

When do they move out of the brooder and how old are they?

 

[cgmccary]

I send mine out at about that age (and earlier if warm weather). IMHO, they get unmanageable about 5-6 weeks. I move them to an outdoor pen beginning on warm days bringing them in at night when only 2-3 weeks of age, then permanently out at 5-6 weeks of age but penned in the coop.

At about about 2 -3 months old, I turn mine out for good. Although my permanent pen is in my coop, there is no heat. For the first few weeks after being let out, they go back in the coop at night but as they get bigger then I have noticed mine go to the trees with the adults.

The weather is different in other places and this may not be possible. I have a group about yours age (maybe a little younger) & they are still coming in at night but they are about to go out to the coop's pen. It has been getting about 39 -45 F at night here lately. I haven't had heat on them for a couple of weeks. They are dumb, dumb, dumb when first let out.

 

[PeepsCA]

If they were day olds, or just a few days old when you first got them... then that would make them somewhere between 5 1/2-6wks old, which is about how old they look to me.

Typically at about 6-7wks old keets are pretty close to being fully feathered and can regulate their own body temps... depending on what they've been fed. High protein starter feeds like 26-28% protein (or higher) Game Bird, Pheasant or Turkey starters usually help them feather out and grow on schedule, lower starter feeds like 20-22% % chick starter tend to make them feather out and grow much slower.

Is there anyway you can provide a light for warmth in the new coop just at night for a little while? Even just regular incandescent 90 watt light bulb in their brooder lamp hanging somewhere they can all get to if they get chilled will help. 40 degrees is pretty low, especially since they probably won't be huddling/sleeping together for warmth once they are out in the coop and up on the roosts.

If you can provide a heat source at night that they can use if they want it, then I'd say they are ready to go out as soon as the coop's done. That's what I'd do anyway, since there's not that many of them and they don't produce much body heat at that age/size yet.