First chicks!
Hello chicken veterans!
(Photo taken right before bedding change, also their first time trying cucumber scraps! They loved them🫶)
I raised chicks as a kid with my family, but stopped after the flock was brutalized by a family of raccoons (R.I.P. Red, you were my favorite). Now, I'm raising my own chicks! I got 6 to start: 4 Plymouth Rock and 2 Orpington. I bought them at my local Tractor Supply, and currently have these lovely ladies in a 4x4 indoor enclosure with a heat lamp mounted 3' up in their own room!
When I bought them 4 weeks ago, I noticed some had wing feathers and tail feathers sooner than others. Now that they're nearly completely feathered, it's hard to tell how old they are especially since I couldn't possibly tell you when they were hatched. That being said, I'm not sure how to judge the temperature they'd be most comfortable at until their new coop is built. We had a cold front and with them being in a rather drafty room, I set up a small oscillating heater... but now I'm rethinking based on some of the temperatures you guys are putting the chickens out at.
I'm hoping a more experienced chicken person can tell me how old you think these girls are and some guidance on indoor brooding > outdoor coop and run transition–especially for predators and safety. Do you allow them to free roam, and if so, how much area do they roam? Thanks in advance!!