Single hen

[beingmaisie]

Seeing as my incubated eggs are just 5 days from hatching and i have my brooder set up and ready I want to look further afield and start arranging to buy and make the hen house and run.

 

So, I wanted to know at what age will my chicks go to live in the hen house full time. 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 or more?

 

I need a time frame for the making of the house and run to make sure i dont get caught out.

 

Any help appreciated and i promise to post loads of pics and vids when the chicks arrive

[craftyhunnypie]

I have my chicks in a sepate eglu / run & let the others free range round them as they grow up. When they look about similar size, this is usually about 16 weeks - I carefully open the chicks run & stay in the garden to assess any nastyness. I leave them to choose which house to go back to at night time. After a while you may find they want to all sleep together, but they certainly get on better when they come into lay. It's like they are on the same level as the older ladies then. I have Big girls & bantams that fre range together now, along with Spongebob the cockerel. It's lovely to see. Spongebob is not so keen on Bingo the other bantam cockerel though. Bingo has to have separate ' out' time along with his friend Button, who is due to come into lay any time - now 18 weeks.

 

Emma.x

[Paola]

I got my cream legbars at 12 weeks and they had only been out a week when I collected them

[Headchicken]

My chicks went out when the were off heat, after a "hardening off" process (outside during the day, back in at night) around 5 wks or so. Really depends on your outside temps. Our daytime highs were around 80degrees F and around 65degrees F.

[beingmaisie]

Thanks CHP

 

These will be my first ever chicks, never had chickens before so want to do the best for them and its such a big learning curve. I guess just let them out during the day when they get their feathers and see how it goes.

[feemcg]

I wean mine off the lamp in the utility room by 3 weeks then they go out to a 'growers' run within the garage. The big girls can see them through the mesh. I decide what ones I'm keeping and put them in with the big girls at 12-14 weeks......it's never pleasant to begin with, the big ones keeping the wee ones away from the feeders etc. but it settles eventually.

These pics give an idea of my set-up with different aged chicks in the 2 smaller runs, which both open into the big run when required