when do you stop with the brooder light.

[Jmiller429]

Ive got about 20 jumbo browns in a brooder set up in my heated chick shed. They are around 5 weeks old. I have a ton of different eggs hatching within the next week or two, and really need the brooder space. Are the quail old enough to be moved to an unheated outbuilding?

 

[thai]

i moved all my quails to outdoor cages at 3 weeks. i did it during san diego winter.( temp hovering around 55-60 degree f) all 50 quails doing fine. at 5 weeks old they should be full feathers so the temperture not going to effect them too much unless it's under 40 degree F.

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
You need to WEAN chicks off their heat source at 5 degrees a week until they're acclimated to the regular air temperatures. If you drop them from 90* or so down to 50* or whatever all at once you are asking for trouble . Also, they NEED to be FULLY feathered out before you put them out of the brooder. Chicks w/o their full feathering can't retain body heat .

 

[joe125]

Quote:
You need to WEAN chicks off their heat source at 5 degrees a week until they're acclimated to the regular air temperatures. If you drop them from 90* or so down to 50* or whatever all at once you are asking for trouble . Also, they NEED to be FULLY feathered out before you put them out of the brooder. Chicks w/o their full feathering can't retain body heat .

Agreed!
5 week old coturnix should be 100% feathered, with their juvenile feathers. They should be able to withstand 70-50 deg. temps. Maybe even lower, but mhwc56 has it right. They should be weaned of the heat gradually.

 

[mhwc56]

@jmiller...just realized you live in Pa ... I'm in maryland and i would definitely not put my chicks out at our current temps and you are COLDER than we are....