When to move my 2 chickens outside

[NorthernChick1]

I had a hen hatch 1 chick in november so i kept them in the basement all winter. I live in northern ontario where theres still many feet of snow. The temp is started to be steady at around 0 to 4°C during the day to around -2 to -9°C at night. Theres still a heat lamp in my coop.

Im wondering if i can start merging them outside during the day at these temps to reintroduce them or is it still to cold from being in the house at 25°C all winter. Will it be to much of a shock having such a difference in temperatures?

 

[pibb]

A wide temperature change is hard on everything. If you can somehow make a slow transition between your basement temp and the outside temp, I'm sure the chicken will thank you.

 

[JamsHenHouse]

A good way to begin acclimating the pullets to their outside temperatures is to put the hen in a run outside and take her in at night when the temp. would drop very low. I also recommend waiting for her to be almost a month old as that is when they no longer need to be at chick temperatures. Good Luck! Here's a link to a thread that I find helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/acclimating-chicks-to-cold.1236392/

 

[aart]

Do you have other chickens?
If so, integration is also a concern.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That chick was hatched in November, it is now March. That chick is four months old. I've had chicks 5-1/2 weeks old go through nights that cold with no supplemental heat. My chicks were acclimated but you can probably guess what I think of you worrying about that chick or having heat in your coop. Now, if you were talking about -20 C I'd have more sympathy.

I personally think they'd be fine from a temperature viewpoint just to take them out. But you can take them out during the day to get them more acclimated. Watch them and see how you think they are handling the cold. Trust what you see more than what someone like me tells you over the internet.

 

[Mrs. K]

People worry about temperature swings, but in SD, we have wide temperature swings, most of the year. Does not bother any of our animals. Healthy animals, in good shape can survive 60 degrees difference in stride.

 

[NorthernChick1]

Thanks everyone they have integrated well with the others and ae now spending the night in the coop. I still have a heat lamp running for the colder nights.