Little Chickens Big Outdoor Adventure

The baby chickens are just over a month old now and they were quickly outgrowing their temporary living space in the spare room.  I started to acclimate them to cooler temperatures for the past couple of weeks by turning off the heat lamp during the day, then finally leaving it off all the time.  They seemed to adjust pretty quickly.  I usually wait to put them outdoors until they are fully feathered.  The last place on their body to loose the cute chick fluff is the head.  Once their heads are feathered in, they are ready to go outside.  I try to keep an eye on the weather when I decide when to put them out for the first time.  I wait for a stretch of nice warm days and mild nights, so they can have a gentle introduction to outdoor life.

The day they went outside was a mild sunny day with temps in the upper 60's and a gentle breeze.  The rest of the week looked about the same, so it seemed like an ideal time to get the little ones out of the house.  They will spend the next couple of months in this small enclosure where they will be safe from roaming predators.  Once they start to get close to being full sized chickens I will introduce them to the rest of the flock and they will get to enjoy the freedom of the chicken yard.  Until then I will have a front row seat to watch their antics from my kitchen window.