When to put in the coop?

[Chicabee19]

if they are 2-3 weeks, maybe they need that light a while longer!

 

[the simple life]

They really do look too young to be put outside, they aren't feathered out enough at all.

I have some older than that and they are still in my living room.
I start by taking away the heat lamp but still keep them in the house.
Then I move them to a big brooding pen in the garage, if the nights are cold I give them back the light just at night until they start to gain some extra weight for warmth.

I move them to the coop between 10-12 weeks.
(but I have them in a good size pen until then)

I have 8 week olds still in the big inside pen and one month olds in the living room.

All of them go outside during the day for some free range time and to get them gradually use to the colder weather.
I think you need to do it gradually but they will be hardy that way I think.

Its tougher this time of year and its kind of a judgement call, raising the chicks during this season takes a little longer to get them use to the cold and out in the coop
You have good chickens for cold weather though, they are a pretty hardy breed. I have some myself.

It goes by so fast they will be in the coop before you know it.
But yours are still babies, there are no feathers on their breasts it will be a few weeks yet.

Pretty babies, enjoy!

 

[jm20]

well these are my mixed chicks like I said I would post them but my aint very old yours are older then mine and they are by there selves but here they are........well that was my guess hope it helps anyway Love my little mixed chciks...

thanks JmM

 

[packinaglock]

Quote:
Yes at least another 2 to 3 weeks

 

[jm20]

ya we all have diffrent things so just look at them and see what you think I think they are good to go...



JmM

 

[bradrenea]

Thanks for all the replys. I will probably keep them inside overnight another couple weeks, but may start putting them outside before I go to work starting on Monday. I hadn't done that yet because I leave at 6am, and it hasn't warmed up any yet. Do you all think that sounds OK? I am really in no hurry to get them out, I just don't want to keep them inside too long.

As for the height of the lamp, it's only a 60 watt bulb, and the tempurature within a couple inches of the bulb is only 80-85 degrees if the box is open. Do you still think I need to raise it?

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[cjstanman]

I have 5 Barred Rocks plus one UFO (we think BA) that I just put outside at 4 weeks old. Here are some pics to compare - I have pics throughout the weeks, so maybe it will help.

Here's 2 days old:

Here's 12 days old:

Here's 3 weeks old:

Here's 4 weeks old - they're huge!

And here's 4 weeks old, outside.

 

[bradrenea]

WOW, the difference between three and four weeks is amazing. I am guessing mine are about three weeks old, when comparing them to yours. Thanks for the pics!

 

[1Chick Magnet]

i am also worried about my girls being outside. last night it was 40 here. i have 4. 3 large breed and 1 silkie. they are 3 months old. they have been in the garage for about 3 weeks and were moved to the coop a week ago. the coop is a plywood shed, 8x12. it has tar paper on the outside. it still needs shingles and we are going to add an inner wall possibly with insulation. i made a wall of corn stalks on 3 sides of the perches to help keep them warm tonight. they have full feathers and are big. will they be ok?

 

[cjstanman]

I forgot to add that mine are in a chicken tractor. Part of it is open to the air (covered/protected with hardware cloth) and the other part is their coop. I still have an 85W red flood light (not heat lamp) out there at night.

We are in central North Carolina and when I moved them outside, it was getting up to 90 during the day and down to 70 at night. It's starting to cool off - esp. this week, what the heck! - and for the next week it's going to be 70-80 during the day and 55 at night, so I'll still leave the light in there for a while at night. Probably take it out when they're two months old and have been outside for a month, that should give them plenty of time to get acclimated.

They seem to be doing fine and are finally learning to sleep on the roost, ha ha!

Good luck with yours, they're cute!