When to start

[LN2008]

Maybe I'm in the wrong forum or this has already been asked, but is it stupid to start raising chickens in Kansas during August?

 

[HEChicken]

from another Kansan!

Actually, I got my first set of straight run chicks on August 18th a few years ago so....no

 

[LN2008]

So what did you put them in the coop before winter? I'm a beginner, so sorry for the stupid question. I'm just scared they'd experience a tougher winter because they'd be so young. We don't have electricity to our coop so we'll have to tarp it super efficiently.

 

[HEChicken]

They were inside for the first few weeks but around 3-4 weeks of age I started letting them outside for a few hours at a time, in the confines of an old guinea pig run we had. They moved into the coop full time by around mid-September. That gave them plenty of time to adjust to being outdoors before it got cold so by winter they were well acclimatized. We also do not run heat to our coop and they really cope just fine. Summers are harder on them than winters.

 

[BoltonChicken]

Chickens can stand scary amounts of cold and heat. Once they have their feathers in most domesticated breeds can stand temps down to zero, and if you give them shade, water, ventilation and dirt, they can stand temps up to 120 degrees.

 

[LN2008]

Good to know! Thanks for the help!

 

[hlf1996]

I live in Kansas too and I have chickens from 3 days old-1 year old. They do fine as long as they have constant water. They also LOVE watermelon during the summer