PoultryTalk.com

i am new to the poultry keeping and have 3 lovely pekin bantams (2 hens and a cock). the lady we got them off said they were 4 weeks old and needed to stay indoors for another 2 weeks. the 2 hen birds have got all of their feathers now but the cock bird seems to be much slower in his feathers coming through. will he be ok outside over night or how long shall i continue to keep them in over night?

I'd say when theyre about six weeks old, or maybe a bit sooner if the weather stays this warm. By then they'll be much more active and will need more freedom!

Do you mean letting them stay outside at night or putting them in a coop overnight.

As long as they have fully feathered up Meg, they can go out in a covered coop, and at night inside a safe henhouse outside. Untill all of them are fully feathered, if it's nice and warm and dry outside, they can go out, and bought back inside at night or if it rains etc. You only mention the three, so i gather that's all you have, small youngsters need to be kept warm and dry, dry is essential, they can huddle up if they get a little cold, but if there's only three, that's not alot to huddle with! Once fully feathered, they can withstand a drop in temp, as long as they are dry and safe. The main thing with bantam growers is keeping them safe, they are just the right size for a cat or bird of prey to attack. So a covered run with hen house attached is a good idea.

JUBESX

I wouldn't let 6 week old growers stay outside in a coop unless mother hen was with them or you have some form of heat in the coop. As Jubes says they can be very vulnerable to anything which thinks they might make a nice meal. Don't forget rats can burrow underneath a run unless its slabbed over so all poultry should be shut away inside the coop at night regardleess of age or the weather.