Well at least I hope Spring is coming. The PNW has had more snow in a February that it has had since 1923. That being said our local tractor supplies and co-ops have loads of baby chicks. Every year it seems the list gets longer of the cute chick offerings they have. Here at urbannorthern.com hardly a spring goes by that we can't resist adding some new chicks to our flock.
Something important tips. Baby chicks should be kept inside (garage is typically our recommendation) with a heat lamp that it closely monitored.
The best time to put chicks out into their coop is between 6-8 weeks. Or when they have lost all the downy feathers and begun to grow real feathers. They start to look a bit teenager-ish at this point. This is a sign they are getting more ready to be introduced into their coop.
Keep in mind they may go down their ramp, but likely will not be able to get back up. Checking on them throughout the day is recommended and then placing them into their house at night and closing the door is a good idea.
We try to remind our customers yearly about the use of heat lamps outside. We get anywhere from 10-20 calls per year of people looking for a new coop because theirs caught on fire due to a heat lamp. If you must use one the best bet is to use it from the outside of the coop instead of the inside.
Happy chick season everyone!
The urbannorthern team