Will 7 week old chickens survive 40 degree weather?

[Lunarcyn]

Hi everyone!

My chickens have been inside the house since birth, and they are now a few days past 7 weeks of age. I wanted to take them outside in the coop as the brooder is too small for them and I can imagine it’s not comfortable not being able to fully run around. I don’t live in that much of a cold climate, night temperatures range within the 40s. Tonight is 47 degrees, would that be too cold for them all at once? Should I bring them back inside at night? I have added a lot of hay into the coop to provide some warmth for them.

 

[NatJ]

What temperature are they living at now?
Do they have a heat source in their indoor brooder?
Will they have a heat source in the coop?
Are they fully feathered? Or at least almost fully feathered?

All of those points matter.

With the right heat source, chicks can live in the coop from the very first day, or they can move out at any time you like. ("Right" heat source can be a broody hen, a heat lamp, a brooder plate, a heating pad cave, or various other things. It just needs to heat one part of the coop to an appropriate temperature, so the chicks can warm up if they get cold.)

If the chicks have a heat source in their indoor brooder, but will not have one in the coop, you should remove the indoor heat source so they get used to non-heated indoor temperatures, before you progress to moving them outside.

If they are indoors with no extra heat, and the temperature indoors is somewhere in the 60s to low 70s, you can probably take them out each day for the next week or so and bring them back at night, then pick a warm-ish night and leave them outside. If you have already been taking them outside in the daytime, they might be ready to move out now.

The amount of feathering makes a big difference too. Some chicks have a full set of feathers at 7 weeks, while some others look nearly naked, even though both sets can be completely healthy and normal for their breed. Fully-feathered chicks can stand much more cold than naked ones! I have been assuming they are mostly feathered, but if they are still mostly naked you will definitely need to handle things differently.

 

[Lunarcyn]

What temperature are they living at now?
Do they have a heat source in their indoor brooder?
Will they have a heat source in the coop?
Are they fully feathered? Or at least almost fully feathered?

All of those points matter.

With the right heat source, chicks can live in the coop from the very first day, or they can move out at any time you like. ("Right" heat source can be a broody hen, a heat lamp, a brooder plate, a heating pad cave, or various other things. It just needs to heat one part of the coop to an appropriate temperature, so the chicks can warm up if they get cold.)

If the chicks have a heat source in their indoor brooder, but will not have one in the coop, you should remove the indoor heat source so they get used to non-heated indoor temperatures, before you progress to moving them outside.

If they are indoors with no extra heat, and the temperature indoors is somewhere in the 60s to low 70s, you can probably take them out each day for the next week or so and bring them back at night, then pick a warm-ish night and leave them outside. If you have already been taking them outside in the daytime, they might be ready to move out now.

The amount of feathering makes a big difference too. Some chicks have a full set of feathers at 7 weeks, while some others look nearly naked, even though both sets can be completely healthy and normal for their breed. Fully-feathered chicks can stand much more cold than naked ones! I have been assuming they are mostly feathered, but if they are still mostly naked you will definitely need to handle things differently.

Thank you for the reply!

Inside temperatures were high 60s and that is what they are used to. They had a heat plate that I raised to the top however they didn’t use it much anymore (they huddle together to sleep).

They are fully feathered, or very close to it. No naked spots that I can see and their heads also have grown feathers.

The coop does not have a heat source aside from hay that I have placed inside to help keep them warm.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Best to acclimate them to cooler temps before moving out permanently, in this case, that means taking them out during the day for progressively longer periods of time to let them get used to the temperature difference.

As far as the original question, healthy 4 week olds with normal feathering can handle 40s without a problem IF they've been properly acclimated. As I raise my chicks outdoors they have constant exposure to a wider temperature range.

 

[Lunarcyn]

Best to acclimate them to cooler temps before moving out permanently, in this case, that means taking them out during the day for progressively longer periods of time to let them get used to the temperature difference.

As far as the original question, healthy 4 week olds with normal feathering can handle 40s without a problem IF they've been properly acclimated. As I raise my chicks outdoors they have constant exposure to a wider temperature range.

Thank you! I brought them in for the night. I’m going to leave them out in the coop in the mornings so they will slowly get used to the temperature.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you! I brought them in for the night. I’m going to leave them out in the coop in the mornings so they will slowly get used to the temperature.

That sounds like a good plan, given the other details you have given.

 

[Mrs. K]

Those birds are more than big enough to manage 40 degrees.

 

[BrahmasMama02]

Thank you for the reply!

Inside temperatures were high 60s and that is what they are used to. They had a heat plate that I raised to the top however they didn’t use it much anymore (they huddle together to sleep).

They are fully feathered, or very close to it. No naked spots that I can see and their heads also have grown feathers. View attachment 3728880

The coop does not have a heat source aside from hay that I have placed inside to help keep them warm.

These are 7 weeks Omgosh I’m looking forward to this growth spurt then .

 

[1muttsfan]

I agree, young birds should be acclimated to cold. They are fully feathered and old enough to take that temperature, but not if they're used to temperatures not less than 60.

I think it's important to remember that it's not just what is possible, but what is best for the birds. Think about how it would feel to you if somebody turned your heat off and it was still only in the 40s, and you couldn't pull an extra blanket or two over yourself at night. You could very likely survive that, but it would not be a very good experience.

 

[cubalaya]

They were fine at 6 weeks