Will they survive? Please help

[FLITZ]

I have around 33 six week old chicks. I really need to get them in the coop as soon as I can.

The night time temps here is... tonight 38 and for the rest of the week 45-47 Daytime 65-69 all week with some rain one day.

The coop they are going in has no heat light and its a very old coop. I'm guessing it could be 40 years old. There are gaps between the boards that you can see thru but not stick your fingers through. It has a wood floor that has been around for a while. Its solid but not nice or super clean. The property was a farm many years ago. The coop hasn't been used as a coop in many years. It had some junk stored in it. roof doesn't leak. big enough for an adult to stand up in and walk around a bit.

Knowing the coop isn't draft free.. considering the outside temps and that there are 33 chicks that seem to be feathered out.

Is it time I can put them out there

 

[FLITZ]

what do you guys think?

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

They should be fine if they are completely feathered. You could always hang a heat lamp in the coop. I was a nervous wreck with my first chicks going outside and was afraid they were going to freeze to death. They didn't!

 

[nurse_turtle]

If they've been raised in a brooder with heat lamp, they may need some supplemental heat in the coop. Chicks that are raised by their mama hens don't need anything from us except access to food and water. The abrupt change in temperature, from a warm brooder to a cold coop, may prove too much for the weaker or smaller chicks. I'd be worried although the chicks will most likely be fine.

 

[crchickens]

I stopped using my light, and our garage heat is no longer on. I am hoping to gradually adjust them to the cooler weather. Mine are 8 weeks and are going out as soon as we put the windows on the coop. I think the gradual change will be okay.

 

[FLITZ]

6 of the 33 were in a room that has always been high 60s to low 70s they didn't have a brooder light on them but they were in the same room as another brooder.

27 of them were in a room with a window open for nearly a week. those were in a wire cage with a blanket covering most of it. It got pretty cold in the room during the night, but i'm sure it wasn't so cold inside the cage with that many chicks and covered.

I put them out in the coop today with no heat or light. I hope they will be okay. I have a lot of hay on the floor on one side of the coop. I put it on the side of the coop that i thought would have the least amount of drafts and be the warmest. When I went out to check on them..crazy chicks were all near the door at the coldest spot that they could have chosen to sleep. I think they may be afraid of the hey....I thought it would keep them warm. It's in the upper 40s tonight. I hope the poor little things are okay out there.

 

[FLITZ]

with 33 chicks that are 6 weeks and three days old

and another 20+ chicks that are around 1.5 to 2 weeks old

I just couldn't keep them in the house any longer. They sure do poo a lot