# Newbie Question



## LarryH (Feb 25, 2015)

My 14 chicks are 3 weeks old. At what age can I move them out to the coop I built for them? Some folks told me that I could move them outside when they're fully feathered, but how do you determine that?  Is it when they start flying?

Thanks for your input.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Its not just the being fully feathered, its weather conditions in your area. Think of it this way, they've been in your nice warm house since day one. They are acclimated to those temps. Even placing an adult bird back out in to the cold can be a shock to them with chicks its ten times worse.

If you can supply them with a warming station you might get away with moving them. The big issue will be night time temps. Chicks do not have a fully developed body temp regulator and can struggle to keep warm.

BTW, fully feathered means they've lost all of their chick down and its been replaced by real feathers.


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