When should put out in coop in Florida??

[Rufflemyfeathers]

I live in central Florida and was wondering at how many weeks do you think chicks should be to put in there coop only not pin yet and with a heat lamp on in evenings when cooler..and at what temp do you think it would have to be to have to use the heat lamp??

Thank you for any info..

Carol

 

[gritsar]

You can put them out in a draft-free predator proof coop at any time you can keep the temperature at what they need for their age. So, if you chicks are 3 weeks old for example and you can heat the coop to the 80 to 85 degree range they can be out there. 90 - 95 the first week of life, decreasing by 5 degrees a week.
If your coop is large, you may want to look at ways of confining them to a smaller portion of it closest to the heat lamp at first. You could move their entire brooder out there and confine them to it during the night, letting them wander around in the coop during the day.
Please be very very careful with the heat lamp, making sure it is secured in at least two ways. Coop fires do happen.