ForFlocksSake
Songster
I'll begin by saying this is the last time I ever brood chicks in the fall/winter. Too much stress over the cold...
My pullets will be 6 weeks on Monday. They look almost fully feathered. I still have them in my garage in a large hardware cloth brooder/cage. They have access to the brooder plate though at this point only one or two really fit under there at a time. I have the heat lamp but ONLY turn it on when the temps outside are getting in the low 40s and below. And even then I have it set very high above them to keep the ambient temp above 55, even though I don't think it gets below 60 with it on.
I haven't taken them outside at all yet. When I was ready to do it the day temps dropped, then we had a bunch of rains, and frankly it just got away from me. I have a see/don't touch setup ready in the main run, but Im just dragging my feet because the idea of catching them every evening to bring them back in the garage is daunting. They are extremely skittish and hard to catch.
I need to get a routine to take them out in the mornings and back Inside in the evenings till eventually they are big enough to head into the coop with the big girls at night. As mentioned, it's North Florida, but we still get plenty of freezing overnights in the high 20's/low 30s. Daytime warms up quite a bit so that's not a concern. Mornings can be quite cold, 40s most of the time.
Can someone with experience give me a good plan? My big girls outside are just about 7 months, so not full hens yet. Not sure how they will acclimate but I need to get the ball rolling soon. Do I need to monitor the temps with 6weeks + pullets? When are they old enough to be in the coop overnight when temps drop to freezing?
My pullets will be 6 weeks on Monday. They look almost fully feathered. I still have them in my garage in a large hardware cloth brooder/cage. They have access to the brooder plate though at this point only one or two really fit under there at a time. I have the heat lamp but ONLY turn it on when the temps outside are getting in the low 40s and below. And even then I have it set very high above them to keep the ambient temp above 55, even though I don't think it gets below 60 with it on.
I haven't taken them outside at all yet. When I was ready to do it the day temps dropped, then we had a bunch of rains, and frankly it just got away from me. I have a see/don't touch setup ready in the main run, but Im just dragging my feet because the idea of catching them every evening to bring them back in the garage is daunting. They are extremely skittish and hard to catch.
I need to get a routine to take them out in the mornings and back Inside in the evenings till eventually they are big enough to head into the coop with the big girls at night. As mentioned, it's North Florida, but we still get plenty of freezing overnights in the high 20's/low 30s. Daytime warms up quite a bit so that's not a concern. Mornings can be quite cold, 40s most of the time.
Can someone with experience give me a good plan? My big girls outside are just about 7 months, so not full hens yet. Not sure how they will acclimate but I need to get the ball rolling soon. Do I need to monitor the temps with 6weeks + pullets? When are they old enough to be in the coop overnight when temps drop to freezing?