When to move to coop????

[JRchickchick]

Also, start giving your 5 week plus chicks some grit, in the form of small rocks, like rose quartz that is in the bag of chicken grit that I buy (hopefully smaller grit for the chicks). That helps them grind their food and the bugs, grass, weeds that you give to them! I'm training my girls now to peck my hand, and not my fingers, by putting a little water in their food, making a mash ball on my hand and holding it flat. They peck some now, but realize my fingers aren't food, that my fingers/hands bring food, and they are learning to love me because I bring them treats. ) I'm also picking some of them up, getting them used to that now, when they are young.

 

[ChickInDelight]

I just moved my chicks out to the coop and run today! They are 7 weeks and definitely fully feathered. We are in the SF Bay Area and night temps are in the 50s? I have full grown hens so I used a folding fence to separate the babies from the ladies - because they eat different food? Not sure how long to keep them separate but they will live next door to each other til then. When would I move the babies up to layer food?

I feed Purina, so I go from Chick Start to Flock Raiser to Super Fresh with Omega 3 (or Layena). The Flockraiser is good for a broad variety of poultry and fowl and ages.

 

[momma1b]

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.

My momma hen hatched her eggs out of the coop and she will keep them there until they are ready to join the rest. I trust her instincts.

 

[jstp]

I was thinking of giving my little cuties some time outside this weekend if the daytime temp gets to 70. They are 2 weeks old. Too early?

 

[TheChickenQueen]

I just finished one of my coops so I moved almost everyone outside yesterday night. There are like 80 of them from 6-5(maybe older) weeks old to 3 weeks old, 17 meat birds, 2 bantams, and all the rest are a mix of LF. It's been windy and wet here lately, still a little cold at night. But i figured they could huddle up at night, and they are mostly out of the rain and wind. I've got some that will be 4 weeks old that I kept inside to keep my 3 tiny bantams company until my eggs that are due this weekend hatch.


But I also have a question. I've got 5 pullets from the Christmas Hatch-a-Long that are just starting to lay. When do you think I could put them with the littles? should I just wait until every chick(soon to hatch eggs too) from this year are lie 8 weeks old? Then throw them in there. My parents want to put them in there, but I'm worried they will hurt them.

 

[ObeyTheYeri]

Mine went out at 1.5 weeks old. I think it's better for them because they get adjusted to cold weather at a younger age.

 

[littlesparrow11]

I just finished one of my coops so I moved almost everyone outside yesterday night. There are like 80 of them from 6-5(maybe older) weeks old to 3 weeks old, 17 meat birds, 2 bantams, and all the rest are a mix of LF. It's been windy and wet here lately, still a little cold at night. But i figured they could huddle up at night, and they are mostly out of the rain and wind. I've got some that will be 4 weeks old that I kept inside to keep my 3 tiny bantams company until my eggs that are due this weekend hatch.


But I also have a question. I've got 5 pullets from the Christmas Hatch-a-Long that are just starting to lay. When do you think I could put them with the littles? should I just wait until every chick(soon to hatch eggs too) from this year are lie 8 weeks old? Then throw them in there. My parents want to put them in there, but I'm worried they will hurt them.

Don't put different ages/groups together until they are the same size- I learned that the hard way

 

[beaula]

I just put my girls out about five days ago. They are about 10wks old and they love it out there. I lock them up in the coop at night. I have some in the basement that are about 4 weeks old that I won't put out for a few more weeks. Suppose to get down to 38 tonight. Am a little worried, but they don't seem to mind.

 

[beaula]

I have read once they are fully adult feathered, they are good to go outside.

 

[NaturesX]

excellent info...ours are at 4 weeks and tonight will b their first night out with a heat lamp in corner...a little nervous, but think they will be fine....Ga has been mild overnight ....been out in coop for several days during the day in dog crate and first night not bringing in. hope they're not scared...