When Is It Time?

[Blue Eager]

Until now I have always purchased pullets & roos when they are old enough to be penned outdoors with their own separate area & night time home, & I usually purchase them during this time of year (Spring). I currently have chicks that are just over 3 weeks old & am wondering when will they be able to be moved from their indoor brooder to their outside home. Obviously temperature is key, but what is the minimum night time temps w/o a heat lamp? In addition, I have read another thing to look for are saddle feathers.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations you might have.

 

[azygous]

To move chicks from indoors to outdoors, you need to acclimatize. You have already started by reducing their heat source by a few degrees from the end of the first week. By three weeks, your chicks should no longer require any heat during the day at ambient temps between 60 and 70F. (Room temp)

To get them ready for moving into the coop, you need to begin exposing them to outdoor temps. Start with day trips outside. If it's in the 50s, no chill wind, it's not too cold. Just watch them for signs they feel chilled and cut it short, making the stay longer the next day.

By the end of the fourth week, your chicks should no longer require heat during the night, so turn off the heat source. Then open a window at night to cool the room down. By age five to six weeks, you can try moving them into the coop if the night temps are above freezing. They may need something warm to snuggle in for a few nights, but they should quickly adapt.

 

[aart]

Depends....
-on how you've managed the heat, usually by 3 weeks inside they are almost off heat.
(day trips outside and opening windows in brooder room can have them ready sooner.)
-on what your climate is.
-if you can have heat out in the coop.
I brood my chicks from 1 week after hatch out in the coop with pad heater with low's near freezing.

Saddle feathers won't appear until about 3-4 months old.
But with most breeds color and size of the males combs and wattles will tell the tale by 5-6 weeks.

 

[Blue Eager]

These recommendations were exactly what I was looking for. Here in NM our extended outlook is day time temps in the upper 70’s to lower 80’s so it will be the perfect time for outdoor excursions in prep for perminant outdoor living.

Thank you azygous & aart!

 

[beachgirlilm]

I’m looking to move mine outside to their coop as soon as we get the coop afixed to it’s location and anchored. My husband put it together last weekend (prefab) and a big storm came Sunday and took it for a ride, we think it flipped once or twice and is repairable. The chicks are getting big enough they need more space than the brooder and I’ve been taking them out to the coop during the day for awhile just to get them out. They love it, it’s a process to round them back up to go back in the brooder but it’s nice enough now I try to give them time outside. Three are like a week or so older than the others so look feathered out enough, being new to chickens I’m not sure with the others. They get under the eco glow heater at night still but most the time they are out, but it’s finally started to warm up so I was thinking I could probably remove the heater? Temps are upper 60’s this week, 50’s at night with lowest being 47 next weekend. Chicks are inside large dog kennel in our shed which is a bit warmer at night. I don’t want them to get too cold and last night was chilly, i forgot to close the two windows I had opened during the day but they did have the heater. Thoughts?

Hoping to get their coop set up proper next weekend and get them out, we will still need to build a larger run to go with it. They are about 4 week’s and 3 week’s old Now based on what the local Farm store told us (not tsc).