Safe to go to the coop?

[woodshouseof4]

Hi all you chicken mamas. I am new to the chicken world and would love some advice on when the chicks are good to be moved to the coop/run.

We got our girls (hopefully all girls) March 15th when they were 3 days old.They are doing great and love to hang out with us. We’ve kept them in a 70°-75° breezeway. We got a total of 8 (2 starlight green eggers, 3 americaunas, 2 calico princesses and 1 black Australorp). They are currently in an extra large dog kennel but have made trips outside when the weather is nice.

I’ve attached pictures of the coop which also includes a heater plate. We moved into this house back in September and it came with the coop (shed) and run 25 foot by 20 foot.

Do you think the girls would be okay to move to the coop since it has a heater plate? They seem to be getting cramped in the brooder.

Also what bedding would you recommend for the coop? We’re leaning towards straw but would love to hear your recommendations.

Thank you all.

 

[FrostRanger]

I'd get them weaned off heat and get them out there. They're definitely old enough to have the process started. Turn off the heat plate during the day but at least for a bit longer turn it on at night if needed. Listen to them and they'll let you know if they're too chilled, obviously if they complain about being too cold, turn the heat back on, and go more slowly. With those temps though, they should be fine

 

[FrostRanger]

Also, I like pine shavings, but straw can work just fine, it really just comes down to personal preference. Just don't use cedar

 

[woodshouseof4]

I'd get them weaned off heat and get them out there. They're definitely old enough to have the process started. Turn off the heat plate during the day but at least for a bit longer turn it on at night if needed. Listen to them and they'll let you know if they're too chilled, obviously if they complain about being too cold, turn the heat back on, and go more slowly. With those temps though, they should be fine

I’ve actually taken their heat plate away as they never used it and they seem completely fine without it.

 

[FrostRanger]

I think they're good to go outside then, temps look fine and they don't want heat anymore. If the coop is ready, no reason to keep them inside any longer

 

[NatJ]

We got our girls (hopefully all girls) March 15th when they were 3 days old.

Do you think the girls would be okay to move to the coop since it has a heater plate? They seem to be getting cramped in the brooder.

If the coop has electricity, you probably could have put the chicks and their brooder plate into the coop the day you got them (depending on how cold the outdoor weather was: sometimes a heater plate will not produce enough heat to deal with very cold weather.)

Yes, you certainly should be able to move them out now. They may not even need the heater plate.

Also what bedding would you recommend for the coop? We’re leaning towards straw but would love to hear your recommendations.

My personal preference: any dry organic matter that is free or cheap. That can be straw, or hay, or wood shavings, or wood chips, or sawdust, or dry leaves, or shredded paper, or various other things. Mixes are generally fine too.

Chickens are really not too picky, and most kinds of bedding can work. Some are a bit easier for the person to manage than others, with some people having different preferences than others.

It is often good to have small pieces that chickens can scratch around, rather than long pieces that can tangle together and form mats. So wood shavings or sawdust have some advantages over straw or shredded paper.

Shredded paper is actually one of my least-favorite choices, because it tends to pack down into a mat very quickly. But a few paper shreds are no problem in a mix with other things. And shredded paper is certainly better than nothing, if you ever run short of other options.

Some people get free wood chips from tree-trimming companies, and those work well in coops and are especially good for keeping outdoor runs from getting too muddy. They are larger pieces than many other kinds of bedding, so they do not break down as quickly.

Dry leaves are a seasonal thing, but can be nice when they are available. They can pack down into a mat, or they can break apart into small dusty pieces, depending on how how moist they are and how much the chickens scratch them around.

If you have to buy bedding, I would look at the prices of pine shavings and bales of straw and the pelleted "horse bedding" that is just sawdust packed together (the pellets come apart again into sawdust when they get a little wet.) I suspect one of those three will be the cheapest, but I know that some areas have cheap sources of other things, so definitely cheack rather than taking my word for it!

 

[woodshouseof4]

I think they're good to go outside then, temps look fine and they don't want heat anymore. If the coop is ready, no reason to keep them inside any longer

Would you recommend letting them in the run and the coop or just the coop to begin with?

 

[Ridgerunner]

So they are four weeks old. What is your weather like? What are the coldest temperatures they will see? That generally means overnight lows. From your photo that shows all the green outside I think your temperatures are warm enough for them to be outside without heat but I'm not sure. It looks like they have good breeze protection inside the coop.

Do you think the girls would be okay to move to the coop since it has a heater plate? They seem to be getting cramped in the brooder.

As NatJ suggested I put mine outside straight from the incubator or post office. If you provide a spot warm enough in the coldest conditions and a spot cool enough in the warmest conditions they can handle it fine. With a heat plate there is no doubt in my mind that they can go out, the only question is whether the heat plate is necessary.

Also what bedding would you recommend for the coop? We’re leaning towards straw but would love to hear your recommendations.

People have used straw, hay, wood shavings, wood chops, Spanish moss, grass clippings, sand, dirt, and many other things. I like something to be inexpensive and readily available. If your coop stays pretty dry about anything can work. If it stays wet you will probably have issues with about anything.

Would you recommend letting them in the run and the coop or just the coop to begin with?

I'd keep them in the coop only to start with, maybe for a week. A part of that is so they stay out of the wind outside until they grow a bit more. It probably doesn't matter but just in case it does. Let's call that an abundance of caution.

The main reason is to get them used to the coop being where they sleep. Most of us want them to sleep in the coop for predator protection and so they are out of the weather. If you just put them out there they might or might not go into the coop to sleep when it gets dark. Probably not. If you keep them in the coop section for a week before letting them out they are much more likely to find their way into the coop when it turns dark. This does not always work, sometimes you still have to train them to sleep inside. But it usually works.

The other option is to just put them out there and train them to go in by being out there every night putting them in until they catch on. One brood I only had to do that once, a couple of times took three weeks before the last ones went in on their own. Most broods take about a week of putting them in every night.

 

[woodshouseof4]

Girls were moved to the coop this evening. I’m a nervous wreck

 

[NatJ]

Girls were moved to the coop this evening. I’m a nervous wreck

Hopefully you will be reassured by what you see in the morning: happy chicks, with plenty of room to play, and no problems from the cold