When can chicks be moved to an outside coop?

Question

I have two 2.5 week old chicks and I was wondering when they can be moved outside. I have heard everywhere from 4 weeks to 7 weeks so I was wondering if someone had a more acurate answer for me. Thanks!

Answer 1

I have a 7 day old chick and it is outside. as long as it is with its mum or a good motherly chicken there is nothing to worry about. Just make sure she is warm and goes to bed at night.

good luck

Answer 2

If your chick started to show and grow some feathers it can go outside. They care able to be outside at the age of 2 weeks because they have some feathers coming in. If there is no more down feathers thay can stay outside.

This weather that we have now that is hot is perfect. They like to be outside taking duct baths and finding insects. Just make sure tha you have a coop for them. Safe from racoons, cyotes, fox, and flying preditors like owls and hawks. A roof is needed to keep flying ones at bay and in case of bad weather. Im colder weather make sure that you have straw to insilate heat. Chickens like to roost high above ground, so add a wooden rod across the coop. You also need a nesting box for them when they are older to lay eggs in. SOme people dont make coops. Thats ok, you can do what I do. Or what other of my friends do. My friends have a fenced in backyard and have a shed thats not too big. They made it into a coop like thing for them at night. They cut a square in the shed for a lil door. Inside on the ground was straw. They had a wooden roost and 3 nesting boxes for there 6 chickens. When it became dark they would atomatically go in by themselves(If you keep thm in an area for a couple weeks and let them out in the yard they stay in yard and then will roost where they were at.). She latches the door when they all are in to keep out preditors.

I prefer this myself, I kept my chickens in my garage for 1 week and then let them out. They would come back in the garage when it bacame dark. A coop is a challange and you need to have it cleaned frequently and safe from preditors. You need chicken wire fencing and stuff which can be expensive.

You should be feeding them starter, when they reach 2.5 months old start to mix some scratch corn in with starter.

!!! Good Luck With Your Chickies !!!

Bethani

Answer 3

Any time it has feathered out it will be okay to go outside