Going outside seems like a simple concept right? You have to take out the trash or get into your car to go to work. For the chickens, it was a whole new adventure! There are things outside they had never seen, heard or even tasted before! It will be the first time they hear another bird chirping other than themselves and the first time they had felt grass on their bird feet. It will be the first time they chase after a bug or even eat rocks out of the driveway! Very exhilarating, a mind explosion of new things.
It is suggested to introduce your chickens to the outdoors in moderation. Once they are about two weeks old you can begin to take them outside for a few hours at a time. I would be outside with them as well at this point for their safety. Since we had never transitioned a brood of chickens from indoors to outdoors before, Cory and I tested the waters first. We took Luna out first because at that time she was our most mature chicken. We took her out and set her on the grass and waited. She just stood there at first and then slowly started pecking at the ground. No running around quiet yet. Then we brought Betty out with Luna to see if begin together would make them bolder. It did, they are much more comfortable when they are all together. If one chicken is alone, you will hear her clucking loudly until she is back with the rest of the group.
Now, to their first time outside all together. It was exciting for me just as much as it was for them. Okay, maybe they were a little more excited than me. Initially they kept close to the brooder box we carried them out in. They were slightly hesitant to leave it once they began to feel the wind and hear other birds chirping around them. Which I was okay with because we were outnumbered at this point, that’s a lot of chickens to keep an eye on! Ultimately, curiosity struck and they were running around and pecking at the grass and chasing butterflies. It was Chicken TV for Cory and I. They also enjoyed eating the stones from the driveway. They need grit in their stomachs to help with digestion, the stones are that grit and it is actually good for them.
You will not want to put them outside full-time until they have all of their feathers. The down is cute and fuzzy but it does not help keep them warm, hence having a heat lamp in the brooder. However, I have read that if you live in a climate where the weather is consistently warm you might be okay putting them outside sooner rather than later. I have read some are able to put them into the main coop at around three weeks old. But in Upstate NY it can be 70 degrees one day and snowing the next so Cory and I waited until the chicks were about 7 weeks old to put them in the coop. You will know when they are ready based on their actions as well. They will no longer sleep under the heat lamp, or all huddled together anymore. They will enjoy being out of the brooder more than in. (which I do not blame them.) And they will be fully feathered and able to withstand temperature changes.
It is amusing, because now that they are five months old (almost six months) they itch to get outside. They pace back and forth like dogs do at the door wanting to go out and play. I am looking forward to the seasons changing even more this year because it will be full of more “firsts” for the chickens. First time they will experience fall (my favorite season) and even the first time they will get to see snow!
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