When to put Silkies outside?

[IroquoisEgg]

What age is good for putting silkies in the outside coop? Mine are 5-6 weeks right now and feathered in except for a few pin feathers on their necks. They're getting too big for the brooder!! Temps here are upper 50's-lower 60's at night. I'm in Sacramento area. Any advice would be great!

 

[Chickenlover7711]

well I put my silkies out side around that age but if it gets that temperature at night you should put a heat lamp in there to keep them warm. But otherwise they should be fine

 

[speakup4kids]

I'm in Yuba City, so not too far from you and I put my silkies outside at about that age. They are doing great and don't seem to need any supplemental heat. I think you are probably fine to let them out, just keep an eye on them for the first little bit and watch for signs of chill. I am too paranoid to have a heat lamp outside so I watched them carefully to make sure they were ok out there and mine were fine.

 

[Delta3013]

Mine are around that age and they go outside during the day. (Don't trust leaving them out there at night) And you got to remember that silkies are a very cold-weather tolerant chicken.

 

[Pineywoods Peepers]

Quote:
What I wouldn't give for temps in the 50's - 60's!! My peepers went outside this week at 5 weeks old, but our nighttime lows have been in the mid to upper 70's. Daytime highs in the 100's.

(Okay, not mad as smiley implies, but I am burning up.

)

 

[gritsar]

I'm not treating my silkies any different than any of my other chicks. All my chicks lost their heat lamp at around 3 weeks old, because our nighttime temps. at that time were in the high 70s plus oppressive humidity and adding a heat lamp at any height was just too much. They are in an outside (screened porch) brooder.