How tough are chicks? Letting them outside..

[Tude]

My six 3.5 week old chicks are now out in the coop/run, but the weather is just about to turn. The past few days it's been in the 70s and 80s during the day and they have been in the run, and in the henhouse at night with it in the mid-50s with access to the brooding plate. Starting tomorrow it will be in the low 60s during the day and low 50s/high 40s at night, and dropping.

Given their age, would you give them access to the run during the day even though they don't quite seem smart enough to go up the ramp to the heat in the henhouse or lock them inside? Should I just give them the option and hope they figure it out? They absolutely hate to be confined, and they like running around and paying in the run, but I worry about them getting too cold. But..winter is coming and they need to figure this all out! Thoughts?

 

[Poultry Showman]

Honestly it depends on the breed. Some breeds are hardier then other's. Give them a heat lamp and see how they react. If they are really cold they will huddle up together.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I would put them to bed at night by hand since they can't get to the heat plate by themselves. Otherwise they're likely to find a place to huddle up by themselves outside, with disastrous results.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I would put them to bed at night by hand since they can't get to the heat plate by themselves. Otherwise they're likely to find a place to huddle up by themselves outside, with disastrous results.

You may have to wait till dark to gather them up if they don't want to quit partying at dusk. IME, younger birds like to stay up late after their elders have gone to bed. Kids!

 

[swamphiker]

If they are well-feathered you could try it. Give them a huddle box (eg cardboard box with some shavings that they can all fit inside to snuggle up) and monitor them to make sure they aren't getting too chilled.

If they still have big patches without real feathers I would wait before exposing them to temps that low without heat.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If it's strictly in the daytime and they're well feathered and in good health, they won't need the heat at all with those temperatures.

If that doesn't sit well with you, is it possible to move the heat source into the run area instead? They likely won't use it but at least it gives them the option.

 

[Perris]

They absolutely hate to be confined, and they like running around and paying in the run

I worry about them getting too cold. But..winter is coming and they need to figure this all out! Thoughts?

Should I just give them the option and hope they figure it out?

They won't be able to figure it out if you don't give them the option. Helplessness and dependency are learned behaviours.

 

[Tude]

They won't be able to figure it out if you don't give them the option. Helplessness and dependency are learned behaviours.

Thanks for this, it's most of my question; what are this risks if they get cold and don't figure it out? Winter is coming fast here in Idaho so they need to figure stuff out!

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I'll wait a little later in the day today and the next couple days, and wait a little later in the evening to put them to bed to see if/when they start figuring out how to get themselves there. Like BigBlueHen mentioned, the seem to be a little frisky at dusk and maybe that's part of the problem as well, they simply aren't ready to settle down! I imagine a first batch like this is the hardest, they don't have any adults around to learn from.

 

[Poultry Showman]

Sound's like you have happy chickens! They'll eventually figure everything out. It's part of how they were created. Our domesticated chickens came from Jungle Fowl. These birds had the ability to survive and thrive in the wild. They passed a majority of these traits on to domesticated Fowl.

 

[Perris]

Winter is coming fast here in Idaho so they need to figure stuff out!

If it does, and you are concerned by the forecast on any given day, if they still haven't worked it out by then, perhaps you could be on hand as necessary to help any that are struggling to get in? If they are fully feathered they can regulate their body temps, and cope with quite low environmental temperatures.

they don't have any adults around to learn from

that is true. But they will learn from experience, and from each other's experiences, and if they get to raise their young, every generation will get better at surviving in the conditions they find themselves. There are no short cuts to experience. But their instincts are the survival skills and experiences of their ancestors, honed to perform without conscious thought. And generally they have a much better idea of what is good for a chicken than we do, so I usually defer to their instincts.