When to move chicks into coop??

[wvcountrygirl]

I am new to chickens. I'm getting ready to order my chicks and Ive been trying to find out everything I'll need to know before they get here. My first question is will it be ok to keep the chicks in my garage with their heat lamp? The temps here are only getting in the lower 50s for the most part at night. I had planned to keep them inside but I'm afraid of the smell and mess from dust and such as they get a little older. (Sorry if my questions are really dumb!) My second question is when do I move them to their coop outside and before I leave them in there all the time would it be ok to let them hang in the run for a few hours during the day??

Thanks!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Hi there! If they are going to be in the garage who's temps are 50s at night, they will need to have the heat lamp on 24/7. Depending on the breed, most chicks are ready to move out to their coop around 8-12 weeks old. And yes, it would be a good thing for them to be living in the coop before they actually live in it! (If that makes sense!

)

good luck!

 

[wvcountrygirl]

Thank you! Very helpful!

 

[B-Goock]

I followed something I read on acclimating chicks to ambient temps. When you get them they need to be kept at about 90 degrees then every week after that drop it 5 degrees. So first week 90, second 85, third 80,etc. Mine were in the coop at about 6 weeks with a lamp at night. Read up on the breeds you are considering to get. Some are more suited for colder climates.

WV, I like to go up there to trout fish near Brandywine. Last fall went deer hunting too. Pretty country.

 

[wvcountrygirl]

Thanks for the info.
Did you bow hunt or rifle hunt? Hunting, fishing, and indoor archery are my three seasons around here lol.

 

[B-Goock]

At home I do bow, shotgun, and pistol cartridge rifle hunt. They don't let us use real rifles here, only certain pistol cartridges.

In WV I went bow only. I was mostly interested in trout fishing when I was there. The locals all teased me that it isn't fishing time, it's deer hunting time. I told them I can hunt deer at home. We don't really have trout here. Well a few places they do stock them but they die off or are all caught by mid summer. I don't see much sport of fishing next to the stock truck either. LOL


Oh yeah on the dust issue your spot on. They will make a bunch of dust. I built a small area inside my coop to get the mess out of the house and limit the size of area the heat lamp had to heat. Another option is to find someone that raised the chicks and want to sell them. Usually around here this time of year you find them on craigslist. People buying them for Easter then have no place to put them, neighbors complaining, etc. I kind of got my gals that way. Guys wife wanted them gone.

 

[gander007]

My chicks start to go outside in a introduction cage and finally
go to the grow out coop and run by week 5 to 6 ....
As I normally have more then 10 chicks at a time and the birds
are feathered and the temp is over 50 F they keep each other
warm at night and if it is colder or they got wet then I turn the
heater on in the coop it is a ceramic heater and it is off the floor
and covered by a wire cage ....

 

[JekkaLynn]

How warm would a coop need to be at night for six 7 week old birds to stay out at night in their coop without a heat lamp?

 

[gander007]

How warm would a coop need to be at night for six 7 week old birds to stay out at night in their coop without a heat lamp?

I try to stay around 50 F as I have never had any problem with 7 week old chicks at 50 F degrees .....

 

[JekkaLynn]

I have a bed of shredded paper and shavings for them to cuddle in for warmth on a little corner balcony in the mini coop too so I hope they will be okay.