Those with new chicks/ducks??

[Ravenwood1950]

My chicks are 3 weeks old, with regard to this inhumane heat, have you or are you planning on putting them outside soon? Mine are beginning to want to fly out of their brooder box. I keep a sheet clothes pinned on the top of two huge dog crates for their home. Also I am having trouble with a couple of the chicks having looser stools. It's been 9 years since I had chicks, is this normal? I putting electrolyte powder in their water maybe every other day. They are eating about a half cup of feed per day for the 6 girls.
My older hens are brave souls in this weather but thanks be that they are smart enough to stay in their cage area under the big fan to help cool them.
I pray that this is not the new normal for us. If it is, I may have to give up on spring/summer gardening and only plant in the fall. I just hope that I have enough strength to have a fall garden.
Mine has gone to seed something dreadful!
Ravenwood

[Abigayle]

Ravenwood, Since they are three weeks old, and you drop the temp five degrees a week, I would start putting them out some, especially if it is not windy.  They will have the same needs as your big girls during the day, shape, food and cool water, ventilation, but no fan until  They don't seem to be eating much for three weeks of age.
You know the routine.  If they huddle they are cold.  Listen to the chirps for signs of distress.  Happy chicks are usually more quiet.  The new environment may throw them for awhile, but you didn't choose shy breeds, so they should soon welcome the adventure.  I would not let them see the older hens for awhile.  The will look like monsters and would enjoy harassing them.
Try a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in their water.  If you have polenta, offer a little with their regular feed.  Are you feeding greens?  Sometimes too many too soon will loosen then up from what I have read.  I had one pasty butt three hatches ago, for a day, been pretty lucky.  I am sure you are taking good care of them.
At three weeks, they will want to try their wings and run.  You might add a very low perch if you have a spot, just enough to get them off the ground and give them something to do.  Good luck!

[BennyMG1]

No chicks here, but I put my first ducks of the season out at six weeks.

I may try to put this batch out at five weeks….it just depends on how big they get in the brooder.

[John Galt 1]

I've never dealt with chicks hatching in hot weather (we generally hatch in April) but the temperature should be fine this month for 3 week old chicks.
We usually wait intill the chicks are 10-12 weeks old before putting them in with the mature birds.    But a few years ago I was tired of dealing with some roughly 8 week old chicks and put them in with the larger birds.        As we've all seen the mature birds will peck at the new younger birds.      One of the new chicks was pecked to death within a few days.
I now prefer to keep the birds separated until the chicks have a better chance to run away if attacked.     The fact that we have a horse stall we can keep the chicks in helps.