When to move to coop????

[TJordan]

Remember that before introducing new birds to your flick to quorentine them for several weeks... You can do this by putting them in a diffrent run and hoop coop or simple set up for no less than 3 weeks to insure no illnesses are transferred to your birds...

After this just install chicken wire no lower than 3' into your coop and run areas to alow line of sight between the birds. The hight to insure they can't fly over....
Add another ramp into their seperate half of the coop.

 

[TJordan]

I forgot to mention to be careful using chicken wire with new chicks. They can and will go through it. Predators can also reach through it and even rip it apart. Use HARDWARE MESH!!!! It is not woven but welded together and it's to small to go through. Those little birds are sneaky.

 

[Blooie]

We are new to chickens too. Ours moved into their coop at 5 1/2 weeks old. The nights are not too cold here (NC) but the weather is pretty changeable. At first it was in the 70's during the day 60's at night then we had 80's 60's and then a cold front came through and it was 80's during the day 50 at night. I was a little worried about the 50 degree weather but they did just fine in their coop. No light or heat added. We did close all the windows. The temp in the coop got as low as 50 but they did great. Since its late spring we don't expect to have many cool nights. We do get some snow and cold weather in fall and winter so we did make modifications on our coop to allow electrical into it. We will use a heat lamp probably in winter. Now we are having warm weather again so the windows will get opened back up. We have 2 RIR,2 Eastereggers, and 1 Dorking. All are adorable and doing very well. We are having a blast with these chickens.

It is, of course, totally your decision about whether or not to use a heat lamp in your coop in the winter. Please be mindful, though, that every year right here on BYC you can read about coop fires caused by heat lamps and use an abundance of caution. I use no insulation and have no heat source in my coop in the winter. Here we know winter - we are in a basin between 3 mountain ranges, not far from Yellowstone Park, and it's not unusual to have winds of 50 mph with gusts even higher, sideways snow, and temps that get down to 20 or even 30 below zero. As long as my coop has adequate ventilation, the chickens do fine. Ventilation sounds like it would let them get too cold, but in a well planned coop it actually allows the moist air out through the openings. I always have the downwind window open in my coop. If the weather comes in from a different direction, I simply close that window and open one on the opposite side. It's that moisture from their droppings and their breathing that settles around them like a curtain and causes frostbite, and drafts that ruffle their feathers, removing their trapped warm air that causes problems. The other good thing to do for them is provide them with roosts made from 2x4s, with the wide side up, so they can sit on their feet to keep them warm. Chickens are remarkably adaptable to cold - they are wearing the kind of coat that most of us pay a fortune to own....down and feathers! What they can't handle well is heat. Your area is much warmer in winter than ours - I really think you'd be fine. But again, it's certainly your call, and whatever you do, you'll be acting in the best interests of your chickens and what you think they need.

Personally I certainly do like having my coop hardwired for electricity. It gives me two outlets out there so I can plug in the tank heater in the water bucket, a spare outlet if I need it, and a light for working out there when it's dark at 4 in the afternoon!!

 

[tjhayden1955]

Thank you for your help!

 

[tjhayden1955]

Thank you

 

[Blooie]

You are so very welcome!

 

[charlyschicks]

Great thread! I just moved my 12 EE chicks I hatched from my hens out today. They are 4 weeks old and in a dog pen in the coop safe from the older ones. They have thick hay bedding and I covered them with a thick blanket. It will be in the 60's tonight and they should be okay. Will keep y'all posted...

 

[SallyEdwards]

We have four 10 week old new hampshires that have been in the coop and run for about 3 weeks, 2 weeks ago we moved 6 younger chicks (4 weeks) into the coop but in their own little area so that the older birds could get used to them. After a week we opened the small area so that the babies are able to explore the rest of the coop but still get away from the bigger girls if they need too. We saw some posturing and chasing but nothing serious. This morning when I went to open the coop door the older birds were roosting on the top branch, as usual, and the younger girls were roosting for the first time a few branches down. All seemed calm and happy so hoping they will start to socialize soon.

 

[UrbanChicks435]

Once they get their feathers should be a good time to start the transition to the coop. Eventually they will get too big for their brooder so you will have to move them!

 

[HeatherTheMommy]

My chicks are 2.5 or 3 weeks old. I put then in their coop/run yesterday. it has been 85 here during the day and 65 at night. I put a heatlamp in the coop at night and turn it off during the day. They are doing great. Mine are not fully feathered so i use the lamp. You can probably do without it since yours are a but older.