What should we do?!?!

[Golden Comet Mama]

"What should we do?!?!" I do I said!

That's right me who (thinks) knows so much about chickens


We have 6 week old chicks that soon are going to need to move to the little cage next to the chicken coop but it's getting cold

 

[Jener8or]

Fully feathered chickens usually do fairly well in the cold. I'm not sure what kind of cage it is, but maybe you could cover the cage at night to keep out the wind chill or make sure it is somewhere that is blocked from the wind. You don't want condensation building up, so I would try to keep some good ventilation in there, but I've had little chickens outside as soon as they have all their feathers and they've done fine.

 

[Squawkers]

I’d, of course, just make sure they have time to acclimate

 

[aart]

We have 6 week old chicks that soon are going to need to move to the little cage next to the chicken coop but it's getting cold

What is the little cage? Pics?

How cold is "cold"?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

At 6 weeks they will be fine. If they have been inside your house start putting them in the cage by the coop during the day for 3-4 days to acclimate them. After that they should have no problem being outside overnight.

 

[Golden Comet Mama]

What is the little cage? Pics?

How cold is "cold"?

It is a standard dog cage and it is highs of upper 80s

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It is a standard dog cage and it is highs of upper 80s

Oh in that case they could have been outside weeks ago. I brood all of mine outside and they self wean off of the brooder plate 3-4weeks old even when it’s as cold as 40F outside.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What is the little cage? Pics?

How cold is "cold"?

Pictures do help, don't they Aart. When I read dog cage I'm never sure if it is a wire cage or plastic crate, I've seen both of those called crates and cages. If it is next to the coop how is it protected from weather. And the "lows" are going to be "highs in the upper 80's".

We have 6 week old chicks that soon are going to need to move to the little cage next to the chicken coop but it's getting cold

I actually appreciate you responding to Aart's questions. A lot of people on here never bother. But we do need a little better information to give detailed answers.

However, at 6 weeks of age those chicks should he fully feathered. I've had chicks a bit younger than that go through nights in the mid 20's Fahrenheit. I can't imagine it being that cold with your highs in the upper 80's. From a temperature viewpoint your chicks should be fine. My concern there is if it is a plastic dog grate will it turn into an oven in the sun and cook them.

If temperatures were your only concern, you should be fine. If you have concerns on something else like predator protection or weather protection some more info might help.

Also if you modify your profile to show your general location like Aart and I do that info is always available. That can help a lot in answering a lot of questions, not just weather related.

 

[Golden Comet Mama]

Oh in that case they could have been outside weeks ago. I brood all of mine outside and they self wean off of the brooder plate 3-4weeks old even when it’s as cold as 40F outside.

They are not fully feathered

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting. Mine are fully feathered at 4 to 5 weeks of age.

We still don't know what your lows are.