When can I put baby chicks outside. I have 15 broilers and 5 buff orpingtons. Broilers are dinner buffs are pets

They can stand the temp, especially this time of year, after about two weeks. By 12weeks they should be fully feathered, this is when you could probably safely turn them out to stay. If hens are hatching chicks, theyll be out running around at a few days old. The problem youre gona have at any age is predators. Everything eats chickens.

10/4. Thanks for the info. This is my first go at chickens. I wanted to raise meat birds and the wife and kids immediately got attached to them so I had to get pets as well. I’ve had 2 that just kinda quit life. Wouldn’t hold there head up, stand , walk etc... is that normal. I know I’ve heard you’re going to lose some i just hate it to be because we aren’t doing something correctly

Yes, it is normal to lose some. Some batches we have lost none, and others we have lost 3 or 4.

Jeremy

I agree jwalker get your traps out and get ready

We ordered 20 polish chicks a few weeks ago. 14 of them died just like what you described. Thats the worst chicks we ever had. We lose one now and then but 70% is awful. By the time theyre half grown you can turn them out and theyll take care of their selves. If a hawk or a fox takes a liking to them, theyll get gone quick. Also the neighbors dog will kill every one of them and just leave them laying. They can be a heartache, but I gues the kids need to learn about that too.

I have had chickens for the last 38 years. I order my chicks from Hoover Hatchery in Iowa. I ALWAYS get them vaccinated. I have NEVER lost a chick. When my birds get around 2.5 years old I get rid of them and order new ones. They will lay well until about 2.5 to 3 years old then their egg production will drop off.

Losing a chick would not be the norm for me. I really believe in Hoover Hatchery chicks. I personally don't think you can get better chicks than from there.

These came from Hoover’s I’m unsure of vaccinations

If you did not specify that you wanted the vaccinations, which are an extra charge per chick, then they came to you un-vaccinated.

It is a small price to pay to get birds that thrive and do well.

May want to keep that in mind for future chick orders.

Do those small hatcheries offer Mareks disease vaccine? If they do, get it.

Hoover Hatchery does.

I always get the Cocci vaccine and the Marek's vaccine.

Both vaccines are .20 each per chick.

They give them to the chicks right before they ship them.

.40 per bird is well worth the investment for the success rate that you get in return on retaining new chicks.

That's good to know. Both those vaccines are needed. As much commercial poultry that's raised in this state, it's blind luck if one lives to maturity if it didn't get a dose of Marek's vaccine. They will build a natural resistance to cocci without the vaccine but you might have to medicate them in order for that to happen. It's best to get that one too.

I appreciate the info So far I haven’t lost anymore and they seem to be doing well. In the future I’ll definitely take yalls advice.

I’ve gotten about a dozen chicks each of the past two years. Yet to lose one to anything other than predators. Only lost 2-3 to those. Good coop and electric netting and I can hardly eat and give away the eggs off of 10 chickens. Got 19 now and they are slow due to heat. Check that..,,one came up crowing today. So 18 and about 13 are laying so far. So we also feed antibiotics feed to until they are about 15-17 weeks old. Get ours from Prattville feed and feed store in clanton.