# Lay chicken and weather



## grandcoq (Apr 11, 2013)

Hello,

Its spring here...

My question:

What temparature i can move my lays chicken outdoor (summer hen house)?

Thank!


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

How old are they ? Once fully feathered and as long as the coop is secure I would say temp of 70 during the day, or sooner if you provide a heat light in the coop so they can get warmed up if need be.


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## grandcoq (Apr 11, 2013)

*Weather*

Thank you !

Old: begin 2 years.


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## camel934 (Sep 9, 2012)

Apyl said:


> How old are they ? Once fully feathered and as long as the coop is secure I would say temp of 70 during the day, or sooner if you provide a heat light in the coop so they can get warmed up if need be.


What about cold nights? With or with out a heat lamp, what would be the lowest temp? We are still hitting some 20s and 30s here at night but getting to the 70s here in the day some days. Usually 50s-60s. They are 5 1/2 weeks old, but seem almost full feathered


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## grandcoq (Apr 11, 2013)

Interesting, well preparing my next winter


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

camel934 said:


> What about cold nights? With or with out a heat lamp, what would be the lowest temp? We are still hitting some 20s and 30s here at night but getting to the 70s here in the day some days. Usually 50s-60s. They are 5 1/2 weeks old, but seem almost full feathered


All you can really do is try it. Let them stay in the coop without heat and make sure you have some deep, dry and warm bedding on the floor. Go out after dark and see if they are piling atop one another and pushing towards the middle of the pile to get warm. If so, offer a heat lamp in one corner~doubly secured so that it cannot be knocked down or come in contact with flammable materials~and gauge the reaction. turn off the lamp in the day.

Then move it higher each night and gauge the reaction...and in such a manner harden them off to cold temps. They will feather out faster if they are exposed to cooler temps. You'd be surprised how well they will do even when not fully feathered.

When you see them sleeping just snuggled and no longer under the warmest part of the lamp, you can take it away altogether.

I've had chicks in coops in 40-50s temps with no lamp at all by 3 wks.

For the OP...if your birds are 2 yrs of age, they should be in an outdoors coop at all times, no matter the weather.


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## UncleJoe (Jun 23, 2012)

Bee said:


> For the OP...if your birds are 2 yrs of age, they should be in an outdoors coop at all times, no matter the weather.


Agreed. My full grown birds (8 months and over) have never had artificial heat. We have had a few instances of sub-0 F. temps and in 8 years we have never lost a bird to the cold.


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## grandcoq (Apr 11, 2013)

Ok thank you for your smart advices !


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