04/13/2026
Welcome to Week 5 of raising chickens! 🐓 This is a huge milestone week for your birds! 😁
Let’s take a look at what you can expect from your birds this week 👀
Temperature: Remove heat lamps if daytime temperatures are comfortable (70°F or greater) to help them harden off. If temperatures drop below 50°F at night, they may still need a heat source, especially if they aren’t fully feathered.
Feathering: They will lose their fluffy down and look “awkward” as feathers fill in. They should be mostly feathered by 5–6 weeks.
Outside Transition: Start taking them outside for supervised, short, sunny, and warm periods to acclimate them and allow them to forage for grit.
Housing: Prepare the coop by checking for drafts, adding secure nesting boxes, and cleaning the space. If moving them out completely, they may need 3–4 days to “imprint” and learn the new space before being allowed into a run.
Diet: Continue with chick starter (20-22% protein) or transition to a grower feed. Ensure feeders are raised to back-height. Supply fresh water daily. Continue to introduce treats like mealworms or black soldier fly larvae, but feed sparingly.
Behavior: They are highly curious and will start to establish their own “pecking order,” which can involve light squabbling. They will try to take flight any chance they get, so monitor closely.
Gender Identification: You can often start to distinguish males (roosters) from females (pullets) by the faster growth of redder/larger combs and wattles in males.
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