The Poultry Keeper

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1712 Location: Carmarthenshire

My 6 week old Barnvelders are now fully feathered and have been off heat completely for over 2 weeks. They are in the lounge and OH is now getting twitchy after having 4 lots of chicks inside for almost all of spring and summer and would like his lounge back to normal Laughing

. I have a nice growers coop and large run ready for them but with all this awful weather and the colder autumn nights I am wary about putting them out just yet would you put them out?

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3540 Location: Monmouthshire

If they are well feathered and enough of them to make a good 'huddle' at night, they should be outside. They are better in a shed/garage from a week old if they have a heat lamp or electric hen. I now have even the electric hens on timers with time off from about two weeks.

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1712 Location: Carmarthenshire

They are 6 of them Henwife. The reason I keep the chicks indoors is because I have nowhere outside with electricity for heatlamps etc... Out of the 6 only two are developing combs so i am hopeful that 4 are pullets Very Happy

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mojo · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject:

let them out a bit longer each day for a week for them to get used to outside...........try not to let them get wet or in a draft ...i beleive drafts kill more chicks than cold

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3540 Location: Monmouthshire

I will forget how lucky I am to have a husband who builds/alters sheds and outbuildings for me & even wires them up.