Determining when Cornish Rocks can be moved to pasture

[MGFarm]

Greetings everyone,
We have a few seasons under our belt with raising layers, but this new batch of 31 Cornish Rocks is our first attempt at meat chickens. So far, most techniques that apply to raising layers also applies to meat chickens, so the brooder stage hasn't been a challenge for us yet. My questions deal with when is it safe to put them out in a mobile chicken tractor on pasture?

At what point (days or weeks) is it safe to put the meat chickens out under a mobile cage onto pasture as it relates to the air temperature? The issue is that we raise our chicks in brooder boxes inside our garage (which has electricity). The brooder boxes we make are easily broken down, stacked and stored until the next time we are raising chicks. It has been our experience that by the time our layer chicks are old enough to move out of the brooder, our spring temps are high enough to move them out to pasture with poultry netting. However, because of the rapid growth rate of the Cornish Rocks, they have their true feathers before the spring temps are high enough (I'm guessing). The problem is that we do not have electric out to our pastures. So my question is, at what age are the Cornish Rocks old enough to be out on their own without a brooder heat lamp? What outdoor temps can they survive without a heat lamp if I build an enclosed roosting box where they can huddle together at night?
Thanks in advance,
Tracy

 

[daviechik]

im not saying its the *right* thing to do but since their body heat is so high we put ours outside at one week old in south florida weather. Our temps range as low as 60s, and high as 80s in the shade... we do provide a draft free space for them to be though.

 

[MGFarm]

The problem is that here in the Tidewater area of Virginia, we don't see your Florida temps until June. We are unseasonably cold here probably through next week or two, high mid to upper 50s and lows in mid to upper 30s is forecasted for next 7 days. My JCRs will be 3 weeks old this Sunday. I was hoping to put them on pasture by 4 weeks old. Anyone else out there putting them our without a heat lamp?

 

[wsmoak]

My handy brooder temperature chart (taken from one of Salatin's books) says that at 21 days, they can handle temps down to 34F.

That presumes they stay *dry* however. If it's going to be wet, you can toss some straw into the covered end of the tractor so they can get up off the damp ground.

Hope that helps!
-Wendy

 

[CoopDeViIIe]

The problem is that here in the Tidewater area of Virginia, we don't see your Florida temps until June. We are unseasonably cold here probably through next week or two, high mid to upper 50s and lows in mid to upper 30s is forecasted for next 7 days. My JCRs will be 3 weeks old this Sunday. I was hoping to put them on pasture by 4 weeks old. Anyone else out there putting them our without a heat lamp?

Hey I live in Smithfield, so in your general area. I have 20 meaties that turn 4 weeks old today. I put them out in a tractor about 6 days ago when they were just over 3 weeks old. I did put a heat lamp out there for several days because the temps were so low, but once the weekend hit and temps went up, I turned it off. They have done fine. They huddle together at night and don't seem to have a problem.

 

[anorwood]

That's good to know about the 3 week/ 32 degrees tolerance. We're in central VA and I'm planning to put my meaties out of the garage at 4 weeks old (2 weeks from now), but it will still be down to the 40's at night. Do you turn off the heat lamps for a few days in the garage before you turn them outside?

 

[CoopDeViIIe]

That's good to know about the 3 week/ 32 degrees tolerance. We're in central VA and I'm planning to put my meaties out of the garage at 4 weeks old (2 weeks from now), but it will still be down to the 40's at night. Do you turn off the heat lamps for a few days in the garage before you turn them outside?

I like to turn it off during the day as long as the temps aren't too bad. I left it on 24/7 for the first 2 weeks, then for the next week I tried to turn it off during the day. Then after 3 weeks they went to the tractor. At 4 weeks old, most of them are nearly fully feathered out. Except for the bald spots on their underside because they will lay on the ground all day and wear those spots down.