baby chicks....5 days in

[melissaL]

New here...new to chickens too!
5 days ago I recieved my order from mypetchicken.com
we ordered 3 for a small backyard flock. They are so cute!!! They are doing well - I am wondering if anyone can tell me when I should move them outside? We live in the mid-west so it's still pretty cold here! We are almost finished with the "garden ark tractor". Should they be 4-5 weeks? or closer to 6?

I can't figure out how to load pictures but if you really want to see them I have a link to my blog...
http://thecre8tiveoutlet.blogspot.com/search/label/chicken chronicles

 

[horseshowmomnv]

New here...new to chickens too!

Hello Melissa,
I am new to chickens also, it appears you are much more practical then we are. We jumped in ordering 25 chicks, they shipped 27. All are thriving. We don't have a coop built yet. Starting this weekend. Luckily we have it under control, all the animals except the Jack Russell have adjusted to the new members.
Enjoy!

 

[melissaL]

Haha! well the city we live in only allows 4 hens, without permits! 3 works well for us as we have 3 kids too!

 

[mikecnorthwest]

About 6 weeks has always worked for us.

 

[CarolJ]

Where are you brooding the chicks? In your home? In the garage? After a couple weeks (max) in your home, you'll be tired of the noise and dust. I brooded a couple groups of chicks in my garage, and my car stayed covered in a thick coating of dust. I hated the mess - no matter how often I cleaned it. We finally built a chicken barn that had electricity. Now, within two or three days of hatching, we move the chicks from the brooder in the spare bedroom to the brooder in the chicken barn. They do great - even in freezing weather. As long as they have a lamp where they can return to warm up, they are fine with cold weather around them. Protect them from drafts and make sure you have that one warm spot for them.

 

[felidaet]

I move mine to the coop at about 5 - 6 weeks old. I keep a heat lamp in one corner of the coop until they are 8 weeks old. I brood mine in the garage. I can not imagine the dust and smell in the house.