When to move to coop????

[Cometsea]

Hello, first time chicken mom here again. Ok, my chicks are now just over 5 weeks old and they have grown so much. Being such a novice, I have been told that they should stay in the brooder up to 8-10 weeks. Then other sources say they can go to the coop when all the feathers come in but, being new to all this , I don't know how to make sure that they have all there feathers. Any suggestions??? We are in central California, in the mountains, and the weather has been beautiful.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Usually their feathers are in at about 5 weeks. What kind of night time temperatures do you have and how many chicks? By 5 weeks they should be alright without supplemental heat. I have some 3 week olds outside with a hen and she rarely sits on them anymore besides night time and I have a sneaky suspicion the weather here isn't quite as pleasant as by you

I would say they are ready for their coop.

 

[Larry in Hawaii]

I'm glad you asked the question since it's one I have had as well. We have 4 grown hens that I bought when they were old enough to be in a coop and run but now we have a dozen or so new chicks (about 2 weeks old) and I was wondering the same. Of course or weather here in Hawaii is always warm...nights will get in the mid 60's so I was wondering just when to put them in the coop and run.

 

[Cometsea]

Our temp are running in the 70s and 80s during the day but it does get down into the 40s and 50s at night.
Hawaii wow, I'm jealous.

 

[junebuggena]

I'm glad you asked the question since it's one I have had as well. We have 4 grown hens that I bought when they were old enough to be in a coop and run but now we have a dozen or so new chicks (about 2 weeks old) and I was wondering the same. Of course or weather here in Hawaii is always warm...nights will get in the mid 60's so I was wondering just when to put them in the coop and run.

I wouldn't put them out with the adult hens until they are about 6 to 8 weeks old at least. You want them to be big enough to hold their own, so to speak.

 

[Cometsea]

Oh sorry, I have 6 chicks. 3 RIRs, 2 Plymouth Rocks, and one Americans.

 

[LI chickie]

My girls are almost 6 weeks and they moved out Saturday (took them in Saturday night temp was 40) but they've been out since. Day time temps here are 70's and night 50's.
I was a little worried last night it got down to 47 but they're fine.

 

[Cometsea]

Ok thanks everyone for the advice...

 

[Blooie]

Mine are outside in their brooder from the start. Temps here were in the teens and low twenties. No heat lamp, no enclosed brooder - just an open pen within the run and a heating pad cave. By 4 and 5 weeks old those were "evicted" from the brooder for the newest babies. The new chicks are now 4 weeks old and going without supplemental heat, although today we had another cold front come through and we're supposed to be back down into the twenties. So I'm going out shortly to turn the heating pad back on for the next few nights. These little stinkers are tougher than we give them credit for....by 5 weeks most of them wouldn't have fit under the broody anymore anyway, and she'd be teaching them to roost with her.

 

[Nexxus6]

My chicks are outside during the day at 2 weeks with my 1year old BO and SW. Out of 16 chicks there is 1 New Hamp Red that is very feisty and tries to stand up to the BO and gets a peck or 2. Otherwise everyone gets along just fine. The big chickens ignore my 2 turkey chicks.
I'm in Maine and still take them in at night for the temps are still in the 40's and they still have lots of fuzz.